Ethical Dilemma of Investigative Journalism: An Islamic Perspective
Year: 2023
Type: article
Abstract: Investigative reporting is increasingly becoming a popular trend in the field of journalism with many news organizations attempting to establish a foothold in its practice. Viewed as a distinctive brand of journalism, investigative reporting could perhaps not be new or different from everyday journalism save for its quest to use a plethora of methods to uncover and expose information. This paper examines the ethical conundrum of investigative journalism from an Islamic point informed by the recurring debate among scholars, professionals and would-be practitioners about its legality or otherwise due largely to ethical concerns. These concerns stem from reporters’ resort to such controversial techniques as undercover entrapment, covert operation, privacy invasion and the use of illegal equipment and clandestine technique to sourcing for information for their stories vis-à-vis Islamic teachings against those questionable practices. The paper proposes an Islamic approach to investigative reporting that upholds the primacy of public interest over private and personal interests based on the highly-established Islamic jurisprudential principle. It provides religious justification for the practice of investigative reporting on the basis of public interest and identifies the limit practitioners can go.
Source: ZARIA JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION
Author: Siraj, PhD,, Ibrahim
Language: English
Topic: Journalism and Media Studies
Subfield: Communication
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7219945721