Ethical Issues In Undercover Journalism

Undercover journalism is used in order to expose truth without the reporter being noticed as a journalist on the job. One undercover reporter, John Kelly, roamed a school in order to reveal the level of security in the building. Kelly asked the administration about the security of the school, and then asked where the restroom is located. Kelly purposely walked a different direction, and once the staff noticed they contacted the law enforcement. The school was under lockdown, the children were frightened, class was disrupted, and parents were alarmed. Some individuals argue that undercover journalism is worth the havoc in order to expose the truth, while others claim that this case was too harmful to the children and too disruptive to the class schedule. I argue that if Kelly described his intentions to only one school officer or security guard before he began, then once the administration was ready to act, the officer could have explained the situation. This alternative would align with four ethical lenses: consequences, deserved treatment, contextual communication ethics, and codes, procedures, and standards in communication …show more content…
Louis news channel KSDK. John Kelly is a stakeholder because he is the undercover journalist. If he does not act ethically, then he could lose his job. Also, his reputation as a reporter is at stake. If his reputation is damaged, it will make finding a new station to hire him much more challenging. Other reporters that are focusing on the same issue are at stake as well, because they see the impact this case study had on so many people. Other reporters can learn how to do their undercover journalism differently. The KSDK news channel is involved because upset individuals can contact them about their disapproval of Kelly’s behavior. A news channel does not want to be viewed as misleading and