It's always the same.  The onus is on you to check and clarify everything.  You can't take anything at face value, especially today.  Between the media and spin doctors it's difficult to tell what's factual and what they made up.  That's why the recent exposure of fake Enron whistle blower Lynn Brewer was so interesting to me.

Lynn Brewer has delivered 200 speeches at $13,000 per appearance (which equals millions of dollars) by billing herself as the whistle blower.  She even went so far as to create a company called The Integrity institute.  Adding insult to injury, Ms. Brewer is listed with Nobel Peace Center Exhibition  She is considered a star and is a founding member of the Open Compliance and Ethics Group.  She delivered the keynote address at a Sarbanes Oxley conference hosted by the New York Stock Exchange.   She has spoken all over the world and at universities on the importance of Ethics. 

The recent article in USA Today that outed this unethical woman includes interviews with her former co workers who know her only as a back office researcher. 

Sherron Watkins, the REAL whistle blower bears a resemblance to Ms. Brewer and I can see how those who did not do their homework might mistake the two.   As  professional speaker and member of the National Speaker's Association (NSA) I find her behavior unforgiveable.  But those who hired her for speaking engagements should have done their homework better.   One can only wonder how those who heard her speak about Ethics feel today knowing they were listening to a fake and a fraud.

To read the full story on USA today, follow this link http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/2007-10-11-enron-lynn-brewer_N.htm?csp=34>