The Insider: The Film Analysis Of The Insider

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The Insider (1999) is a compelling film that explores the attempted expulsion of the Tobacco industry. Each year, thousands of people die from the addictive and harmful effects of nicotine, and if that’s the case then why is it still legal in the United States? Based on a true event, Jeffrey Wigand, a former employee for a major Tobacco company, had been fired due to his objection against the company wanting to create chemicals that would enhance the addictiveness in nicotine. Wigand was approached by Lowell Bergman, a producer for the CBS News show 60 Minutes, and encourages him to get interviewed to blow the whistle on the Tobacco industry. However, Wigand had to sign a confidentiality agreement when he got terminated and the situation becomes …show more content…

When his bosses were letting Wigand go, they made him sign a confidentiality agreement so he wasn’t allowed to speak about anything that went on within the company. When Bergman reached out to Wigand about the tobacco industry, Wigand was hesitant to say anything because of the agreement that he signed. However, Wigand felt like he had an obligation, to tell the truth about what the company is trying to do so he agrees to do it. Afterwards, he meets at the Browns and Williamson office and they force him to sign a stricter confidentiality agreement and if he were to break it, then he wouldn’t get paid his severance and he would lose his medical care. This demonstrates an ethical dilemma because it shows how big tobacco companies like Browns and Williamson will do anything in their power to protect themselves from being exposed to the public about what they put in their product. If the public were to find out about this, they can get sued by the millions. Moreover, in the film, it even states how big tobacco companies spend hundreds of millions each year on legal counsel and they never lost a personal injury lawsuit. If they have the money for it, they will cover up anything and if anyone tries to expose them, they will make sure to keep their mouth shut. In the film, there were people, that the tobacco company hired, following Wigand around wherever he went to make sure he wasn’t doing anything to expose the

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