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Undercover Reporting. Danielle Brennan Kelsey Gerckens Christine Gorney Sean Hanrahan Megan Hassler. When is undercover reporting OK? When is it necessary? To what extent/how far should you go? Is it ever necessary under particular circumstances, such as those of national security?
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Undercover Reporting Danielle Brennan Kelsey Gerckens Christine Gorney Sean Hanrahan Megan Hassler
When is undercover reporting OK? • When is it necessary? • To what extent/how far should you go? • Is it ever necessary under particular circumstances, such as those of national security? • What does a reporter have the right to broadcast as news, and what should the reporter broadcast, after receiving news in this way?
“Avoid undercover or other surreptitious methods of gathering information except when traditional open methods will not yield information vital to the public. Use of such methods should be explained as part of the story.”
Decline of Undercover Reporting • The decline of undercover reporting, and of investigative reporting in general, reflects the increasing conservatism and cautiousness of the media.
The Ken Silverstein Case "Their Men in Washington: Undercover with D.C.'s Lobbyists for Hire" Harper Magazine
Facts • Ken Silverstein, editor of Harper’s Magazine, went undercover and posed as a man named Kenneth Case and said he was from the Maldon Group. • He approached the lobbying firm APCO and asked them to help improve the public image of Turkmenistan, which he didn’t mention was “run by an ugly, neo-Stalinist regime.” • The lobbyists from Cassidy & Associates and APCO accepted. According to Ken Silverstein they were going to charge almost $1.5 million to:1) send congressional delegations to Turkmenistan 2) write and plant opinion pieces in newspapers under the names of academics and think-tank experts they would recruit 3) set up supposedly "independent" media events in Washington that would promote Turkmenistan
CON: Potter Box Values- Deceit and Lying vs. Truth Principles – Kant: right is right no matter what Loyalties- Journalist are loyal to truth, ethics and their sources
PRO: Potter Box Values Greater good vs. truth Principles As John Stuart Mill said, the public has a right to know. If it is something important to know then undercover reporting can be justified for the greater good of society. Aristotle advocates the middle ground, or compromise, suggesting that undercover reporting can vary in ethical value from one case to the next. Loyalties Lobbying groups are loyal to their customers and to accomplish their goals pursue the case undercover. Journalists are loyal to their news organization and must follow their code of ethics.
Howard Kurtz Article CON • Ken Silverstein says he lied, deceived and fabricated to get the story. • Howard Kurtz says, “The reason is that, no matter how good the story, lying to get it raises as many questions about journalists as their subjects.” • "What bothers me most," says APCO's Cooper about the story in the July issue, "was there was never a moment where he unveiled himself and asked us to comment on anything we did wrong, because we didn't do anything wrong. They never called us to say, 'You got punked.' "
Poynter Guidelines Information must be of profound importance There are no other ways to obtain the information Journalist is willing to disclose deception to the public and people involved Benefits to public outweigh harm caused by deception CON
“There is a hint of hypocrisy when we use some form of deceit to pursue truth.” Bob Steele, Poynter
Ten Days in the Madhouse Nellie Bly, successful female journalist in the 1880’s in New York Wrote for the World and agreed to go undercover to investigate the abuses occurring at insane asylums Feigned insanity and entered Blackwell Island’s Asylum Experienced and witnessed various abuses: nurses physically abusing patients, feeding patients vermin-infested foods, admitting people that were not insane but simply physically ill Result: New York officials launched an investigation and raised funds by over $1 million each year to make sure that these asylums kept up with regulations PRO
EthicNet Guidelines for Undercover Journalism: PRO “The general rule is that a journalist has to be open in his actions. It means that he/she announces in every professional contact that he/she is a journalist. Journalism in which the journalist assumes another function or another identity, for example when so-called undercover reports are made, may be pursued only exceptionally.” Deviation from this rule is allowed only if all of the following conditions are met: • 1. The information that the journalist hopes to obtain has great social relevance, as is the case in social evils or human rights violations. • 2. The usual journalistic methods that are used when gathering information are not sufficient to achieve the desired goal. • 3. The risks that may go with the use of the undercover method are in an acceptable proportion to the desired goal. • 4. The decision on the use of an undercover report as well as the realization and the publication of the report are made with the consent and under the responsibility of the editor-in-chief or his/her representative.
“Done well, at the right time, for the right reasons, undercover reporting can support substantive, compelling journalism that serves citizens and society. Journalism based on subterfuge and stealth-- when ethically justified and skillfully practiced--has revealed government corruption, serious manufacturing malpractice, and epidemic racial discrimination in our communities.” Bob Steele, Poynter
Hidden Cameras Often misused/overused Deception and misrepresentation “short cut” in reporting Used for “gotcha” stories CON
TO CATCH A PREDATOR Lorne Armstrong http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRM6unwsO_A&NR=1 Not Journalism Lied to get story Faked as a 13-year-old girl Should be left to the police to take care of CON
Could become dangerous Humiliating to the predator could lead to suicide and destroying the life of the person http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2008/06/nbc-resolves-la.html Louis William Conradt Jr., a 56-year-old assistant county prosecutor in a Dallas suburb, shot himself in November 2006 when officers showed up at his house as part of a pedophilia sting arranged by Dateline. suicide, interfering with police duties and putting the predator in harms way yes, it is good to catch these “Predators”, but it is not the journalist job to lie about who they are and go undercover to get it. CON
Hidden Cameras may be Necessary PRO • Sometimes, a story is only credible with visual proof • Knowledge of a camera present often causes subjects to put on a facade • Hidden cameras may be the only way to capture valid proof of certain issues, such as in cases where courts mandate evidence
Mirage Bar Pamela Zekman, reporter at WBBM-TV in Chicago Chicago-Sun Time bought and opened a tavern in Chicago, naming it “The Mirage” Zekman posed as a bar maid Exposed the rampant bribery going on between bar owners and inspectors/authority figures so that they would overlook health and safety regulations Sun-Times photographers took pictures of the transactions from the loft upstairs PRO
“The Mirage investigation, which received national coverage from ’60 Minutes’ and other media, is a great piece of Chicago history.” Nerissa Young, SPJ’s Project Watchdog Committee “There were many surprises along the way. But the project’s main duty was to prove if what we suspected was true. Mayor Richard J. Daley would always say to reporters who asked him about corruption in the city, ‘Where’s your proof?’ The Mirage investigation offered an answer to his question.” Hugh Smith, SPJ PRO
Conclusion • Undercover reporting is something that has been going on for as long journalism has played a major role in public awareness • Though it is becoming more prevalent, it is simultaneously becoming much more controversial, as techniques become further developed, consequences become more extreme, and news worthy issues become more complex
“Journalistic ethicists agreed that undercover reporting is pointless and unethical ‘when you indulge in subterfuge to merely provide the conventional wisdom with a concrete example.’ The irony in that judgment, of course, is that the most successful undercover reporting often does just that, putting a face to social problems we know only vaguely about “ Lisa Gulya
