First reaction to bad news truth is usually shock followed by anger at the messenger of bad news truth (whistle blower)
The first reactions of people being exposed to truth about misdeeds of those in positions of power, whether it be a spiritual organization, a commercial orgn., lower government offices or even highest government offices, is shock followed by, many times, anger against the messengers of the bad news truth. Off with the head of the bad news messenger has been the cry of many powerful people and their supporters, over the ages, and so, over the ages, messengers of bad news truth (whistle blowers is the current term) have had to face the wrath of some people, and sometimes even lost their heads!
However, especially in our Internet revolutionized early twenty-first century world, it is far better to face up to the truth, even if it is bad news, rather than sweep the bad news truth under the carpet. Sweeping it under the carpet may have worked, to some extent, in the twentieth century, but is a terrible management approach to problems, in today's times.
Denial of real problems will not solve the problems. Only those organizations, including spiritual & charitable service organizations, that have the capacity to face up to unpleasant but real problems, confront it and solve it, will survive and flourish in the twenty-first century, IMHO.
I thought some readers may appreciate reading, or refreshing their knowledge, about one of the biggest whistle blowing cases of the twentieth century - Watergate.
Some extracts from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watergate_scandal:
The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal that occurred in the United States in the 1970s as a result of the June 17, 1972 break-in at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., and President Richard Nixon's administration's attempted cover-up of its involvement. When the conspiracy was discovered and investigated by the U.S. Congress, the Nixon administration's resistance to its probes led to a constitutional crisis. The term Watergate has come to encompass an array of clandestine and often illegal activities undertaken by members of the Nixon administration. Those activities included such "dirty tricks" as bugging the offices of political opponents and people of whom Nixon or his officials were suspicious. Nixon and his close aides ordered harassment of activist groups and political figures, using the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The scandal led to the discovery of multiple abuses of power by the Nixon administration, articles of impeachment, and the resignation of Nixon as President of the United States in August 1974. The scandal also resulted in the indictment of 69 people, with trials or pleas resulting in 48 being found guilty and incarcerated, many of whom were Nixon's top administration officials.
[Ravi: So USA president Nixon and his administration tried hard to cover-up, after the illegal DNC HQ break-in was discovered. They did not just roll over and resign.]
The affair began with the arrest of five men for breaking and entering into the DNC headquarters at the Watergate complex on June 17, 1972. The FBI connected cash found on the burglars to a slush fund used by the Committee for the Re-Election of the President (CRP), the official organization of Nixon's campaign. In July 1973, as evidence mounted against the President's staff, including testimony provided by former staff members in an investigation conducted by the Senate Watergate Committee, it was revealed that President Nixon had a tape-recording system in his offices and that he had recorded many conversations. After a protracted series of bitter court battles, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the president had to hand over the tapes to government investigators, and he eventually complied. These audio recordings implicated the president, revealing he had attempted to cover up the questionable goings-on that took place after the break-in. Facing near-certain impeachment in the House of Representatives and equally certain conviction by the Senate, Nixon resigned the presidency on August 9, 1974. On September 8, 1974, his successor, Gerald Ford, pardoned him.
[Ravi: Nixon and co. badly wanted to hide the evidence. It took a USA Supreme court order for Nixon to hand it over to govt. investigators, after which the game was up. Nixon escaped conviction due to his successor giving him a presidential pardon.]
...
Nixon's own reaction to the break-in, at least initially, was one of skepticism. Watergate prosecutor James Neal was sure Nixon had not known in advance of the break-in. As evidence, he cited a June 23 taped conversation between the President and his Chief of Staff, H. R. Haldeman, in which Nixon asked, "Who was the asshole who ordered it?" Nonetheless, Nixon subsequently ordered Haldeman to have the CIA block the FBI's investigation into the source of the funding for the burglary.
...
The connection between the break-in and the re-election committee was highlighted by media coverage—in particular, investigative coverage by The Washington Post, Time, and The New York Times. The coverage dramatically increased publicity and consequent political repercussions. Relying heavily upon anonymous sources, Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein uncovered information suggesting that knowledge of the break-in, and attempts to cover it up, led deeply into the Justice Department, the FBI, the CIA, and the White House.
----- end Wiki extracts ----
However, especially in our Internet revolutionized early twenty-first century world, it is far better to face up to the truth, even if it is bad news, rather than sweep the bad news truth under the carpet. Sweeping it under the carpet may have worked, to some extent, in the twentieth century, but is a terrible management approach to problems, in today's times.
Denial of real problems will not solve the problems. Only those organizations, including spiritual & charitable service organizations, that have the capacity to face up to unpleasant but real problems, confront it and solve it, will survive and flourish in the twenty-first century, IMHO.
I thought some readers may appreciate reading, or refreshing their knowledge, about one of the biggest whistle blowing cases of the twentieth century - Watergate.
Some extracts from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watergate_scandal:
The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal that occurred in the United States in the 1970s as a result of the June 17, 1972 break-in at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., and President Richard Nixon's administration's attempted cover-up of its involvement. When the conspiracy was discovered and investigated by the U.S. Congress, the Nixon administration's resistance to its probes led to a constitutional crisis. The term Watergate has come to encompass an array of clandestine and often illegal activities undertaken by members of the Nixon administration. Those activities included such "dirty tricks" as bugging the offices of political opponents and people of whom Nixon or his officials were suspicious. Nixon and his close aides ordered harassment of activist groups and political figures, using the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The scandal led to the discovery of multiple abuses of power by the Nixon administration, articles of impeachment, and the resignation of Nixon as President of the United States in August 1974. The scandal also resulted in the indictment of 69 people, with trials or pleas resulting in 48 being found guilty and incarcerated, many of whom were Nixon's top administration officials.
[Ravi: So USA president Nixon and his administration tried hard to cover-up, after the illegal DNC HQ break-in was discovered. They did not just roll over and resign.]
The affair began with the arrest of five men for breaking and entering into the DNC headquarters at the Watergate complex on June 17, 1972. The FBI connected cash found on the burglars to a slush fund used by the Committee for the Re-Election of the President (CRP), the official organization of Nixon's campaign. In July 1973, as evidence mounted against the President's staff, including testimony provided by former staff members in an investigation conducted by the Senate Watergate Committee, it was revealed that President Nixon had a tape-recording system in his offices and that he had recorded many conversations. After a protracted series of bitter court battles, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the president had to hand over the tapes to government investigators, and he eventually complied. These audio recordings implicated the president, revealing he had attempted to cover up the questionable goings-on that took place after the break-in. Facing near-certain impeachment in the House of Representatives and equally certain conviction by the Senate, Nixon resigned the presidency on August 9, 1974. On September 8, 1974, his successor, Gerald Ford, pardoned him.
[Ravi: Nixon and co. badly wanted to hide the evidence. It took a USA Supreme court order for Nixon to hand it over to govt. investigators, after which the game was up. Nixon escaped conviction due to his successor giving him a presidential pardon.]
...
Nixon's own reaction to the break-in, at least initially, was one of skepticism. Watergate prosecutor James Neal was sure Nixon had not known in advance of the break-in. As evidence, he cited a June 23 taped conversation between the President and his Chief of Staff, H. R. Haldeman, in which Nixon asked, "Who was the asshole who ordered it?" Nonetheless, Nixon subsequently ordered Haldeman to have the CIA block the FBI's investigation into the source of the funding for the burglary.
...
The connection between the break-in and the re-election committee was highlighted by media coverage—in particular, investigative coverage by The Washington Post, Time, and The New York Times. The coverage dramatically increased publicity and consequent political repercussions. Relying heavily upon anonymous sources, Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein uncovered information suggesting that knowledge of the break-in, and attempts to cover it up, led deeply into the Justice Department, the FBI, the CIA, and the White House.
----- end Wiki extracts ----
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