Undercover report is a crucial investigative tool for journalists in countries without strong transparency laws, but it comes with serious risks that must be carefully considered and documented. This GIJN resource showcases high-impact journalism that relied on undercover techniques and provides advice from experts in the field, including how to plan for a safe and effective operation, as well as tips on what to do if you’re caught red-handed.
When planning an undercover investigation, it’s important to document and map out every step, from where you’ll be reporting, how you’ll get access, with whom, for how long, and why. It’s also important to consult outside advisors, especially a lawyer specialised in media and publishing cases, before the project begins, says Kroeger, who adds that journalists should make sure their undercover work does not put children or vulnerable groups in danger or deny vital services to real people.
Although undercover investigation is sometimes criticized as deceitful or unethical, it can provide invaluable information about institutions and social situations that are difficult to penetrate. It has been used by many renowned investigative journalists, such as Nellie Bly, who famously checked herself into an asylum as a psychiatric patient to expose institutional cruelty, and Hunter S. Thompson, who spent a year embedded in outlaw motorcycle gangs for his book on Hell’s Angels. Despite its benefits, undercover work can blur ethical lines and result in a skewed or biased portrayal of events or individuals, and it can be physically or emotionally stressful for the reporters themselves, who may face threats to their safety and be unable to leave their ruse at any time.
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