ABSTRACT

This book discusses undercover reporting, betrayal and deception in journalism, addressing the ethical issues encountered by professionals when deception is involved and providing an explanation of how high-profile cases have developed.

Carson and Muller begin by examining how philosophical theories which form the basis of contemporary ethical codes for journalists, bear upon undercover reporting and questions of deception in the digital age. Drawing upon case studies such as Al Jazeera’s undercover operation against the National Rifle Association in the US and the One Nation political party in Australia, and Britain’s Channel 4 infiltration of Cambridge Analytica, this book goes on to define and discuss the ethical concepts behind deception and betrayal and lays out an original ethical framework for undercover journalists facing related challenges in their work.

Undercover Reporting, Deception, and Betrayal in Journalism is an important research text for students and academics in journalism and media studies.

chapter |12 pages

Introduction

chapter 1|11 pages

Concepts

Deception, consent, betrayal, the public interest, masquerade, entrapment

chapter 2|15 pages

Case study

Phone hacking and News of the World

chapter 3|19 pages

Case study

Channel 4, Cambridge Analytica, and Facebook

chapter 4|15 pages

Case study

Al Jazeera, NRA, and One Nation

chapter 5|13 pages

Hybrid journalism

Deception of the audience 1

chapter 6|7 pages

Conclusions