A student hugs her father before attending the Gaokao, Xi'an, Northwest China's Shaanxi province, June 7. [Photo/IC]

"It's what a journalist should do," said Xu Qingliang, former executive editor of Southern Metropolis Weekly, which is part of the same media group as Southern Metropolis Daily, the covert journalist's employer.

By contrast, Chen Baocheng, a reporter from Caixin Media criticized the covert journalism, saying that because the reporter used another person's identity to gain admittance, he committed the same act as the those he was attempting to uncover, and he should be punished. A news article is no excuse, Chen said.

That view is not shared by many. The undercover journalist informed the local public security bureau about his intentions before entering the testing room on Sunday, and he wrote his intentions on the test paper. That sets him apart from other ghostwriters, who are making money by taking exams for others, Xu said.

The student whose name the reporter used to gain admittance will not benefit.