A critical component of the journalism process, undercover report involves secretly infiltrating institutions to gather information that may be otherwise difficult to uncover. Some of the most powerful investigative work is done this way, and in many cases it leads to reforms and accountability. The nature of undercover reporting, however, involving a degree of deception, raises important ethical questions.
While many journalists have used undercover to uncover a variety of issues, from slavery and sex trafficking to corporate malfeasance and abuse within mental institutions, such investigations often carry serious risks. For example, reporters can find themselves in life-threatening situations or even face a lawsuit brought by the subject of their investigation.
To minimize those risks, journalists should carefully weigh the benefits against the potential costs of a particular undercover operation before beginning. It is also crucial to consult with outside advisors and legal advice throughout the undercover reporting process to ensure that the project meets appropriate journalistic and legal standards.
For instance, the Goldsmith Award-winning Mother Jones piece My Four Months as a Private Prison Guard, which saw reporter Shane Bauer work undercover at a US private prison, exposed mismanagement and abuses that ultimately led to an end to the country’s use of private prisons. But Kroeger says that a less ambitious example of surreptitious reporting, such as testing the quality of consumer service for a company like a car repair shop or a supermarket, is not necessarily an ethical violation and does not require special vetting ahead of publication.