Brian Martin Official Channels Official channels are things like grievance Brian Martin procedures, ombudsmen and courts. They are supposed to resolve problems and provide justice. However, trust in official channels Official Channels can be misplaced: in many cases they may give only an illusion of a solution. In Official Channels, Brian Martin tells what he has learned about formal procedures set up to deal with problems associated with whistleblowing, sexual harassment, plagiarism, Wikipedia and other issues. He says it is unwise to put too much reliance on official channels and that more emphasis should be put on developing skills, changing cultures and exploring alternatives. Brian Martin is emeritus professor of social sciences at the University of Wollongong, Australia. He is the author of 20 books and hundreds of articles on dissent, nonviolent action, scientific controversies and other topics. ISBN 978-91-88061-44-7 www.irenepublishing.com 9 789188 061447 Official channels Brian Martin CONTENTS Preface 1 Published 2020 by Irene Publishing Sparsnäs, Sweden 1 Introduction 5 http://www.irenepublishing.com/ 2 Whistleblowing 13
[email protected] 3 Sexual harassment 81 4 Plagiarism 116 5 Wikipedia 134 ISBN 978–91–88061–44–7 6 Backfire 144 7 Elections 162 8 A miscellany of official channels 172 9 Conclusion 200 Epilogue: a different perspective 206 Appendix 1. Roles of official channels 211 Appendix 2. Watching the doctors? 219 Appendix 3. Showtime in Wollongong. 235 Index 246 Acknowledgements Preface As described in the preface, my ideas about official channels have developed over a very long time, and along the way many people contributed to my understanding.