undercover-reporting

Vocabulary Word

Definition

'Undercover reporting' means journalists act like ordinary people to get information that they wouldn't get if others knew they were journalists. Like, if a journalist pretends to be a customer to know how a company treats its clients.

Examples in Different Contexts

In ethical considerations, undercover reporting is debated for its potential to infringe on privacy and deceive subjects. An ethics professor might discuss, 'While undercover reporting has exposed significant issues, it raises questions about the morality of deceptive practices in journalism.'

Practice Scenarios

Media

Scenario:

We need to dig deeper into the corruption allegations. We suspect there's more that meets the eye.

Response:

I believe going for undercover reporting could help us gain first-hand information about the situation.

Policy

Scenario:

How do you think we can get insights into the actual conditions of homeless shelters? Official reports seem to gloss over the real issues.

Response:

Undercover reporting at a few different shelters might give us the real picture that the reports don't.