ABSTRACT
Entrapment as a method for bringing a scandal to light represents one of the most controversial practices of newsgathering. Defined as “dark art” (Greenslade, 2013) or “ambush journalism” employed in drawing out the worst in others (Rainey, 2011), entrapment is legally and ethically positioned in the gray area of the journalism profession. It entails various types of deceptive and trust-breaking techniques (Liebes & Blum-Kulka, 2004) applied to trick someone to commit a legal or moral transgression (Hill, McLeod, & Tanyi 2017). As such, it takes journalists away from the safe position of passive and distanced spectators whose aspirations for intervention in social reality are minimal to the more controversial position of active and engaged actors directly responsible for generating a scandal (Moncrieff, 2006; Kampf, 2011). Once a transgression is induced by a reporter, debate over the legitimacy and etiquette behind the entrapment (which could itself develop into a parallel scandal) arises: Was the motive to protect the public from misuse of power or just to increase sales (Campbell, 2001; Wasserman & Rao, 2008)? Was there enough prima facie evidence of wrongdoing by the target, or did the reporter go fishing in the hope of catching someone (Greenslade, 2013)? Were the deceptive techniques applied proportionally or were they too intrusive and forceful (Levy, 2002; Sleight, 2010)?
