Dive Brief:

• Three separate TV news reports test school security by following journalists with hidden cameras.  While the results have been mixed—with a frighteningly high number of security guards not noticing the reporters—at least one investigation resulted in a school lockdown.

• Critics say this sort of undercover work does not accurately portray school safety and question how these investigative stories serve the public interest.  

• Not only has the issue of accuracy come into question, but ethics. A parent of a child who was in the school that went on lockdown said she felt the news station “crossed the line.”  

Dive Insight:

While the lockdown scenario was not only traumatic but most likely led to wasted instruction time, the idea of checking in on school security is not a bad one. After Sandy Hook many schools threw tons of public dollars into heightening their security measures, but how effective are they really? Since the reporters went into the schools with hidden cameras, it seems unfair for critics to say these were inaccurate portrayals of school safety and security measures. Perhaps some schools need a wake up call.