journalism to be the public and people here today can help us engage in that and we do some good. >> i will add for any whistle-blower who were wis -- listening i hope wis -- listening i hope they're not@@@@@@@@@ @ @ @ @ @ >> this kind of journalism is a blending of self-interest and public interest. the news organizations need to make a profit but the broadcast like "60 minutes, "we really want to do the right thing. we are motivated to act in the

public interest and sometimes those corporate and journalistic ideals clash but by and large, it shakes out well at the end. it is like health care legislation, the process can be ugly. at the end of the day, all are served by it personally and professionally and what ever it is that is driving the whistle blower and hopefully what is best for the country. in light of that, i invite all whistle-blowers. [laughter] thank you. >> in closing, this is a message to the attorneys who will be representing whistle blowers and

whistleblowers themselves, you have heard someone from the journalists today about what they are looking for what they are weary of in terms of you trying to get a message out that can affect change and not lose an opportunity to make positive change because of difficulties in communication. . . ake positive change because of difficulties of communication i think one important thing for a journalist and lawyers to be very aware of as somebody who has worked with them over to 85 years say whistle-blower is usually to people the person and they were before they blew the were before they blew the whistle which is often and courageous, honest, courageo us superb employee that works the way up and is loyal. just you want on your team than the person you will see on a park bench or climbing

delayed at night frustrating, depressed, upset because what they had believed and and often the value structure was turned topsy-turvy but i will say i have been able to see it i don't know the whistle-blowers before they blew the whistle i can only read it in their performance reviews are letters of commendation they come to be when they are in crisis but i am able to see them after and often they come back to the people they were. it is amazing when you see them again as that loyal, dedicated and incredibly effective employee activist or professional sometimes as an attorney who would have a long-term relationship with the whistle-blower we get to see it. i hope that the crises that

the whistleblower is in when they turn to the journalist will not become an impediment to be misunderstood then is used to four word the public interest. with that i would like to thank everyone for coming. thank you very much on behalf of the national whistle-blower center there will be more information posted at our website which is whistle-blowers did work. thank you very much. [applause] >> you are watching c-span. coming up next, first lady michelle obama talks about

workplace flexibility programs. an iranian photojournalist and others on the state of journalism in this country. it will be followed by a discussion on u.s. business competitiveness, hosted by the american enterprise institute. >> this weekend, this is our guest on " the "booktv." the former white house counsel to president nixon. he is an author of 10 books including an updated edition of "blind ambition." that is sunday at noon eastern on quality "booktv." all this month, south carolina the wonders of the student cam video documentary contest. students submitted videos a one of the country's greatest strengths or it's a challenge the country is facing. watch the top winning videos every morning on c-span at 6:50

a.m. eastern, and just before washington journal. during the program, meet the students who made them. for a preview of the winners, visit the web site. c-span, our public affairs content is available on a television, radio, and online. and you can also connect with those on twitter, facebook, and youtube, and a sign up for our schedule alert e-mails @ c- span.org. >> the federal government has a new effort to implement workplace flexibility programs that are being used in the private sector. the first lady spoke earlier this week in a conference on this subject. she is introduced by the senior white house adviser, valerie jarrett. following the first lady's remarks, a panel discussion with white house senior economic adviser, christina romer, and a number of others. this is about 50 minutes.

>> ladies and gentlemen, valerie jarrett. >> thank you. i am valerie jarrett, a senior adviser to president obama. and i have the honor of chairing the white house council on women and girls. as many of you know, the council was created by president obama a year ago, and it represents his commitment to strengthening the standing of women and girls in the united states and around the world. the membership of the council consists of representatives from every agency and the federal government and every office in the white house. together, we are carrying out the president's directives, which he issued when he created the council. it is a directive to every part of the federal government to address the needs of women and girls in everything from budgeting to health care to education reform. today, our focus is on workplace flexibility and how we can build

a 21st century workplace that meets the changing needs of our work force. in these challenging economic times, it is more important than ever to improve the productivity of both the u.s. businesses and our government. we thank you for joining us to participate in this very important conversation. in a minute, i have the very special honor of introducing the first lady of the united states but first, let me tell you more about this afternoon's program and the reasons why the white house council decided to host this forum. today we're going to hear from a distinguished lineup of speakers. we will hear from private sector managers, academic experts, government officials, corporate leaders, leader ikons, labor leaders, advocacy organizations, and of course, working women themselves. each person has a unique insight into this important issue, and we want to hear about best practices and practical solutions. we want to learn how we in the

private and public-sector can be better support and strengthen the working families in this nation and our economy. after we hear from the first lady, we will have the moderator of our first panel from "good morning bercut." we appreciate you being here. it will take up the question of, what is workplace flexibility? why is it necessary, and what does it actually look like? then we will have breakout sessions. we will discuss topics including the normal and flexible workplace policies that benefit the economy. other panels will discuss how to make such policies a working reality in different sectors from a small business to big corporations. we encourage everyone to be open and to share your knowledge in your experience on what works and also most importantly what does not work. that way, when we leave here today, we will be refocused on

implementing the best of these ideas for more of america's working families. john barry, the director of the office of personnel and management, will help wrap up today's program. he will brief you on the federal government's plan to respond to the changing work force. finally, we will hear from president obama. he will let -- will make closing comments and reinforce the message that workplace flexibility is a priority not just for businesses but for the federal government as well. he will tell you that this administration intends to compete with the private sector with the very best employees. we want to attract and retain the best and brightest. we want to improve the quality of life for our work force. we want to do this because we know it will improve the quality of work, and if we do, in turn, it will improve the quality of service to you, the american people. the president and the first lady's participation in today's

forum since a strong message about just how important this commitment is to them and hopefully to all of you. because we in the federal government are challenging ourselves. we hope that the private sector will also work hard across the country to do just the same. we're pleased, for example, that corporate voices for working families has come up with a challenge for the business community. it is a challenge in which companies will and courage of their peers to adopt as many of the smart practices that provide workplace flexibility. this is a type of competition back and work for both employers and employees. it can also help us pave the way for the creative work place of the future. we look forward to hearing updates on your progress and other efforts across the country. in fact, the conversation we begin today will continue around the country as we convene similar forms in the coming months by connecting directly to these communities.

we will continue to learn about practices and challenges that local governments, businesses, and their employees face in implementation. all of these whiz this must be heard, because it is an issue that fundamentally affects all americans at work and how we live. when me expand on this for a moment. consider the women's revolution within our society. the majority of households have -- no longer have one working parent and one stayed home caretaker. increasingly women have entered the work force and taken over the prime role of being the breadwinner. we're now out of the nation's work force. at home, the meet the majority of household conditions in terms of buying, and generally speaking, more studies are showing that companies that hire and retain women have a healthier bottom line. with these facts in mind, we believe we must reexamine how the modern workplace functions. we believe we must understand the works and how flexible policies will impact them and their families.

this is why the president's council of economic advisers issued a report today entitled the work-life balance and the economic of workforce flexibility. the council chair, christy earlimart, will veto this report during our panel discussion. we believe that more workplaces should try to do a better job in meeting the growing needs of their employees and their families. it is not just the right thing to do but it is the smart thing to do. for the government and for any company that wants to stay competitive. working together, we're confident that we can all do a better job in meeting the needs of american families and workers. in fact, we must do better. our work starts here today with discussions just like this one. we are so delighted to have such a wonderful, the verse, and accomplished group to help us tackle this issue. i want to take a moment to thank the people who were critical in making this event possible. including my team at the white

house. the executive director of the council, tina. she is back there. [applause] she cannot do as she does without her able team consisting of her deputy and others and the national economic council. please, at a round of applause to our team here. [applause] i also want to recognize, of course, the author of "womeno mics." and also our moderator. claire. [applause] >> she is a strong and powerful voice in the workplace flexibility, and we are delighted to have her here. i also wanted to acknowledge journalist cokie roberts. there you are. [applause]

a do not know if we should call and the first gentlemen of michigan, please, stand up. [applause] all trailblazers in business. with that, now i have -- well, before concluding introduce the first lady, i want to mention that we're so fortunate to have here authors and experts and labor leaders and organizations that have been advocates and university professors all who have come to join us. not to mention we're spinning our events over the net. for those of the office or at home, we hope you'll be engaged in continue with us in this process as well as we work to champion this issue and challenge us all to do better by and for american families. with that, i would like to move forward and introduce our next speaker, the first lady. let me just tell you a little bit about the first lady before she comes out here.

there's not much more to add other than what you have already learned since she hit the national stage, but i have had the privilege of knowing her for many, many years and have to work with her closely and observe how she has worked so hard to balance the needs of being an extraordinarily accomplished professional, being a terrific mother, and being a great spouse. and she speaks openly about the challenges, and she has worked her through her own career to push her employers to recognize the importance of flexibility. so many times along the campaign trail and in the last year, she has helped people realize that it is ok to say you cannot necessarily do it all without support. she has had terrific support in her life. she added before she came to the white house, and she certainly has it here. but she recognizes better than anybody because of her life experiences that so many women do not have the safety net. so many women are trying desperately to juggle without the support that they need.

she is a strong advocate for workforce flexibility. without any further delay, let me introduce the first lady of the united states of america, michelle obama. [applause] >> thank you. thank you, everyone. thanks so much, everyone. please rest. you're working hard enough as is. [laughter] well, hello, and welcome to the white house, sort of. we are across the street, but it is good to have you all here. i want to think valerie for the kind introduction and for her outstanding work, not just on this issue but for so many others, her friendship and support. i also want to thank her staff again you have done a phenomenal job in organizing this conference and bringing us all together. this is just a wonderful way to spend an afternoon on an

important issue. i would also like to thank all of the outstanding members of this administration who are here for taking the time to be here today. and i want to thank everyone who has joined us to share their ideas and expertise on this critically important topic. thank you for taking the time. we have come here today to have a conversation about workplace flexibility. an important part of balancing our responsibilities of employees, a breadwinners, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, husbands and wives. it is an issue that many people have struggled with for so many years and one that we as a society have not really quite figured out yet. and it is the parents of two -- as the parents of two beautiful young dollars, it is -- a daughters, it is an important issue to me and my husband. as you know, i have talked about this so often. it is true that we are

incredibly blessed in our current life. we have amazing resources and support systems here at the white house that i could have never imagined. number one is having grandmother living upstairs. [laughter] we all need one of those. so can you figure that out? [laughter] but we did not always live in the white house. for many years become -- before coming to washington, i was a working mother doing my best to juggle the demands of my job with the needs of my family, with a husband who has crazy ideas. as i said before, i consider myself, as many of us in this room, as a 120% person. if i am not doing something at 120%, i feel like i am feeling. and you can relate to that. so i did the best i could work and at home. i felt like i was not keeping up with either one of them enough. and i was lucky. i had understanding bosses,

accommodating jobs. in fact, in the last of my head before coming to the white house, i remember this clearly. was on maternity leave with sasha, still trying to figure of what to do with my life, and i got a call for an interview for a senior position at the hospital. i thought, ok, here we go. i had to scramble to look for babysitting and cannot find it. so what did i do? i packed up a little infant and put her in the stroller and brought her with me, and i prayed that her presence would not be an automatic disqualify year. and it was fortunate for me that, number one, she slept through the entire interview. [laughter] and i was still breastfeeding, if that is not too much information. [laughter] and i got the job. but i know that i was lucky, number one. i was interviewing with the president that had just had a child himself and was very understanding and open-minded. but none of the most people are

nowhere near as lucky as i was, particularly right now with the job market the way it is. many people cannot be picky about the jobs that they take. many people do not have access to any kind of family leave policies whatsoever, no flexible working arrangements. many people do not even have it paid sick day. so they are struggling every day to find affordable child care. or someone to work after an aging parent which is becoming more the issue. scrambling to make things work in the usual arrangements fall through. all of us have been through that. so i spend a lot of time hoping and praying that everything will work out just perfectly. i remember those days. the delicate balance of perfection. and as all the parents in this room know, it is never perfect, ever. but here is the thing. as we all know here today, it just does not have to be that way.

it is not have to be that hard. that is something that i learned for myself, not just as an employee but as a manager, when i discover that the more flexibility than they give to my staff to be good parents, and i valued that, the happier my staff was likely to be in the greater chance they were to stay and not leave. because they knew they might not find the same kind of flexibility somewhere else. but something that many of the companies here today have discovered, very fortunately, that flexible policies actually make employees more, not less productive. as you all know, instead of spending time worrying about what is happening at home, your employees of the support and the peace of mind that it desperately need to concentrate on their word. you of our pioneering the innovative ideas and best practices to make balancing work and family life easier for your employees and better for your bottom line. you're doing so much, providing

discounts on child care -- important. setting up a scholarship programs to help pay for college -- amazing. many of your offering compressed work weeks. you are offering generous leave time and mentoring programs that connect the new parents are caregivers with people who have been through it before. and you're giving employees the right to even approach you and have an open and honest conversation about how to create a more flexible schedule. that is critical. so here in the federal government, we're trying to follow your lead, putting our money where our mouth is to adopt more of those best practices, from expanding telework access, to providing emergency child care, and more affordable day care. that is what this administration supports the healthy families act, which would let millions more working americans earn up to seven days a year of paid sick time to care for themselves

and their families. it does not seem like a lot, but it is important. these are just a few the examples of what we're going to be talking about today. and i am looking forward to hearing more of the many ideas, the ways you're figuring out how to make this issue work for your employees. we are excited today to learn about your ideas, your best practices, what many of you have done to support your employees and to boost their bottom line at the same time. with that, i want to again thank you all. i want to thank you all for the working of done in your companies to set the tone. i want to thank you for taking the time to share your ideas with us today. so now my work is done. i can now turn it over to claire and the panel and you guys will figure this all out. >> 45 minutes. >> that is right. >> shorter than health care. >> a little. [laughter] thank you so much. [applause]

>> mrs. obama and valerie, thank you for putting a spotlight on this issue. the white house focusing on it will make a huge difference and encouraging all of these best practices to floors. i would like to start with you, dr. christine romer. a lot of the stuff in the report is so fascinating. i think most people tend to think of flexibility as a perk, something that cost the companies something, a luxury. i have often said the way people work to work life now, managers seem to want to run screaming down the hall when you bring it up, and we should call work life balance, make more money. because that is the bottom line. that is what is surprising about

flexibility and not just for businesses. i was struck by what you find in terms of the economy as a whole. it really helps the larger economy. >> absolutely. i will be shameless and show you the report. i want to take one minute to single out my colleague cecelia. she played a great role in putting this together. [applause] thank you. you know, you're absolutely right. one thing that is true is that the flexible workplace, everything from control over what hours he worked, where you work, how you organize your hours, it is part of a package of compensation, just like your health benefits, your flexibility, your wage. all of it goes into how we organize paying workers. but i think what you're getting at is firms often think about it as a cost, but what we found is

that there are a lot of benefits, absolutely for workers. i guess it is is it -- a statistic that none of us will be surprised out. the number one people say they think about buying getting a job is workplace flexibility. if you're interested in retaining employees are attracting employees, it is absolutely crucial. it is important to think about absenteeism and turnover. the degree that help brokers and firms from obviously help the whole economy. but there are social benefits, everything from we're able to invest more in our kids are we are able to take care of our parents. that is good for society. but it is also concerned to the degree that people are working at home. they're not on the roads. there's not as much congestion. there is not as much pollution. all of that i think it's into the picture. it is a win for employees, four firms, and for the whole

society. >> i think what valerie was talking about is the stress of so many families now that have both parents working. it is a new challenge that we have not faced before. tell us a little bit about why american workers in fields that flexibility is such a priority based of this report. in so many cases, it seems that time has become a new currency. time is every bit as important. >> think the reality now because of the recession that we continue to go through is that more women are forced to stay in the labor force for even longer hours. and some of them have to acquire an additional job. for low-skilled workers and those people that do not have the luxury of having those policies in place right now, it is even harder for them to speak up at work. i would say to you that the majority of women in the workplace are mothers. some of the primary breadwinners. unfortunately, we need to have policies that allow for work

flexibility, even if they could negotiate at the local level, at the business. maybe it is an organization or firm that did take time off if a child is sick or someone in the family, an elderly person is the to the doctor, there's flexibility that they are not penalized and not intimidated. so many workers are now are free to stand up and say i need to take a day off to take my mother to get medication or to take myself to get tested. i think a lot of women are fearful because there is so much uneasiness in the workplace. we need to have employers to be more understanding. and because of this situation where more women are in the workplace, i am and hoping the policies will be more flexible and adaptable right now. it is important for us to take a leadership role of the federal level but also to give examples and show where these efforts have worked. i know in my state, california, there's a policy that allows for that. but many more states to participate as well and to have ce