Dateline To Catch a Predator: thoughts?

I wondered what people's thoughts were on this show. There have been several I guess. I saw one.

Men are duped into thinking they're talking with a thirteen year old boy or girl, then lured to a house to meet them (the parents are out of town). Dateline then films the subsequent humiliation and arrest, as it was law enforcement doing this in the first place.

Thoughts?

Thanks, as always.

 

I feel conflicted about conspiracy laws, (crime has not been commited) but if it actually deters this kind of thing, then it's worth it.

 

It's disgusting. The interviewer will go "You know she's 13 right?" and the guys will go "But she said she was 15!!!" Yuck. These men deserve to be locked up.

I don't really know how I feel about cops setting people up like this though.

 

Yeah I hear ya. It's not so clear cut as vice crime stings. In these cases, these cats actually intended to meet with underage kids and have sex with them. In one case a guy brought rope and duck tape. That's not so good.

On the other hand, they've turned this into entertainment. .Hannah., any thoughts?

 

Right. That's what i'm saying. And if you're uneasy with that, how about a MSNBC profiting from it.

You have a newscaster basically, or investigative journalist or whatever he's calling himself... asking the guy questions "what are you doin' here, Tom?" in a condescending way.

Not difficult to achieve, when the guy's not wearing pants and is about to be arrested.

 

P.S. I am glad to read your destiny has been manifested.

 

It's good that they are catching these pricks,but it gets boring after watching 1 or 2 being caught.

 

Is it all about its entertainment value to you? That seems to be your main concern.


This was one of the criticisms expressed at the wiki entry:

Conflict of interest
Beginning with the fourth investigation, Dateline began paying Perverted Justice a consultant's fee to do its regular work; the fee was reported to have been over $100,000 for that operation.[3] It was suggested that this payment created a potential conflict of interest for Perverted Justice, an organization run largely on the efforts of volunteers, and furthermore, that for Dateline to pay this fee would be tantamount to paying news sources, widely frowned upon in the journalism industry.[4] In their FAQ, Perverted Justice defends this consulting fee, citing, among other things, the costs of keeping its website running and the fact that "... everyone except [themselves] and the predators are being compensated for this massive amount of effort".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Catch_a_Predator

 

My destiny is changed every time I look upon the stars embrace upon my soul.

 

Right on. It is interesting how simple that is, and yet how many people go through their lives not doing it.

 

I have to say that I'm all for it. These guys are potential sex offenders. The fact they broadcast it on national television SHOULD help raise awareness as far as how at risk a child can be when communicating over the internet.

As far as the cops setting these people up. I look at it this way, If you aren't doing anything wrong, then you shouldn't have anything to fear.

Not exactly sure if the person's liberties are being infringed upon though, as I'm not a big constitution geek. I'd like to keep this thread going though. Maybe I can learn something.

 

That's true. It does raise awareness. Some of these guys probably are creeps.

It would be interesting to know how many of these they actually get convictions on, though. They certainly got the ratings and the entertainment value. But since Dateline is paying "Perverted Justice" (a truly unfortunate, poorly chosen name), I think once you get a jury involved a good lawyer might introduce doubt.

As one lawyer points out in that wiki entry, by filming this you are punishing these people before they are even tried for a crime. Which I think is definitely true.

Then again, some of them might be people I would hate, for what they could do to a vulnerable child. It's an uneasy situation.

 

No.I watched 2 being arrested the first time it was on.What's to see after that?

 

if they are catching the people that are fucking up kids lifes then i think its well worth it!!, don't know why the have to put it on tv though, hmm

 

Chris Hanson and his producer are exploiting us, in a way. Of course we want to see pedophiles and predators stopped. But they're profiting from it. It's wierd. I almost wonder if the producers and host are in a way creepy too.

This girl did a video response to it. It's short, but she responds intelligently and with integrity, i feel.

youtube response

 

I saw something like this on the net (It could have been dateline; I am not from the USA). From what I can gather, paedophiles will watch this and learn from others mistakes. It will only make it harder to catch them as they become more cautious and more aware of police methods. I don't think it should be shown on television for this reason.

 

True.

 

I agree.They should keep catching them,but it doesn' need to be broadcast.What's amazing to me,is that there are so many men that would think meeting young girls for sex is in any way right.

 

I've just been watching some clips on youtube. The funny thing is, half of them have seen the show and know exactly what is going on as soon as the guy walks out.

 

my favorite was the rabbi...

mwaaaaaahahahaha......roflma......hahahahahaha

dumb fucking rabbi.