The decision not to prosecute a BBC researcher who went undercover to expose the abuse of older people is a victory for investigative journalism.

NUJ member Arifa Farooq, who used her sister’s name to apply for jobs, helped to uncover malpractice by companies caring for elderly people at home.

The necessity of this kind of work is shown by the fact the Scottish parliament’s local government committee has been investigating the issues around elder care raised by the Panorama progamme that Arifa worked on.

While there should never have been any threat of prosecution, Arifa and her BBC and NUJ colleagues deserve our praise for their resolute defence of quality journalism.

Posted by Rich Simcox

Tags: Arifa Farooq, Investigative journalism, journalism, National Union of Journalists, NUJ