Opinion in Saudi Arabia was split between cautious supporters and outright opponents who claimed that such uncalled for adventures might result in more harm than good.

Arab News spoke to a number of journalists and media personalities in the Kingdom regarding such practices. Legal opinions and the views of security organizations were also sought.

Talal Attik, managing editor of local Arabic daily Al-Madinah, was totally against such "irresponsible" press behavior and said such practices have surpassed journalistic ethics and were out of line with local norms.

"It is not acceptable to cross the line in such a way when working on a story," he said.

He said journalists should coordinate properly with all parties involved in order for their work to benefit society, instead of harming it by causing controversy and ill feeling.

"In this particular incident, contact should have been made with the director of the hospital so that he could benefit by understanding any shortcomings in the hospital's security system," Attik said.

He said by doing so, society would also be enlightened about the correct methods of dealing with such cases.

"The journalistic methods imported from outside cannot be applied in our society. We should never dare to adopt them if they are conflicting with the norms and traditions of our society, which are in line with Islamic teachings," he said.

Attik also said the privacy and personal freedom of anyone cannot be violated for the sake of a news scoop. "It is only an excessive excitement that is behind these irresponsible actions," he concluded.

Muna Siraj, managing editor of Sayidaty magazine, a sister publication of Arab News, was all for undercover investigations if they did not violate rules or hurt others.

"I am a staunch supporter of good investigations that are well calculated. For instance, a journalist can run a red traffic light to go to jail in order to project a real picture to his readers about what is going on in when in custody at a traffic department," she said. She added that nobody is hurt in such a scenario.

Muna, however, was against any assignment that might cause harm to others.

"A journalist who disguises himself using women’s abayas in order to enter special areas designated for women will be violating their privacy and this cannot be acceptable," she said.

She said she is fully supportive of investigative reporting that enable the journalist to find out the truth and present it to his or her readers.

"I encourage such initiatives and ask journalists to carry them out in order to enrich the understanding of their readers," she added.

Press spokesman for Hail police Lt. Col. Abdul Aziz Al-Zinaidi said journalists should give top priority to the interests of the country. "They should also consider the interests of society and the security organizations," he added.

Al-Zinaidi also said a journalist should have a mission to embody both his national and social responsibility, but this should not harm others under any circumstances.

"The publishing of some cases may lead to more violent crimes, like the report of an ethical case involving a young girl several years ago, which eventually caused her death," he recalled.

Al-Zinaidi asked journalists and media personalities to strictly observe the customs of Saudi society and to adhere to the rules and regulations. "You should not break the rules to obtain a scoop," he said.

First Lt. Nawwaf Al-Bouq, assistant to the spokesman of Jeddah police, asked pressmen to consider the consequences before going undercover to get a story.

"The publishing of some news reports may obstruct investigations or help the criminal to escape justice," he said.

Al-Bouq said police had nothing to hide but some cases needed time before all their details are revealed. "In such cases, the interests of the country must be given top priority by journalists," he said.

He asked the media to evaluate the potential harm and assess the consequences as the publishing of some cases may do more harm than good.

Lawyer and legal consultant Khaled Abu Rashid said journalists should not commit criminal acts while carrying out investigative reporting.

"We cannot describe undercover reporting as crimes but we can safely say they are against the rules and regulations. In the case of the two women journalists, they cannot be described as criminals because there was no such intention in their act. They have only violated the administrative rules of the hospital," he said.

Abu Rashid said anyone who is harmed by a report in any way could file a lawsuit against the newspaper or media outlet. He explained that court rules differ from one case to another.

A number of citizens who spoke to Arab News said some journalists have gone too far and crossed the line, causing harm to others. They said if the woman was informed that her newborn baby had been kidnapped, she might have suffered a heart attack. "These two journalists must be punished for their act, which spread terror in the hospital," one of them added.