期刊名称：KOME: An International Journal of Pure Communication Inquiry
电子版ISSN：2063-7330
出版年度：2016
卷号：4
期号：1
页码：84-88
DOI：10.17646/KOME.2016.16
语种：English
出版社：Hungarian Communication Studies Association
摘要：In recent years,investigative journalism has been widely used by the media to obtain news of importance to the public such as headlines about exposing corruption,revealing wrongdoers,and shedding light on hidden actions (Aucoin,2014). In their attempts to deeply research and reveal hidden news to the public,journalists may employ tactics used by law enforcement authorities such as undercover journalism or sting operations (Kroeger,2012). For the purpose of this paper we define sting operations “as any effort by the authorities to encourage wrongdoing,with the intention of punishing the offenses that result” (Hay,2005). While some may regard the use of sting operations by journalists to be a great and powerful tool in exposing wrongdoers,many disagree because it “would send the wrong message to young reporters everywhere that it was all right to lie to get a story,to pretend to be not a reporter but some one you were not” (Goldstein,2012). Although sting operations are most commonly used by law enforcement authorities,they are also used by private and public organization and even in divorce cases (Hay,2005),and more recently,in science publishing. In this opinion paper we describe recent sting operations in science publishing and explain the potential breach of ethics that may be associated with the deception employed in running such operations.
