'Gotcha' Shows Aimed at Nabbing Sexual Predators Raise Controversy
While some argue such programs are nothing more than tabloid pulp and that the media should leave police work to the police, others say this kind of programming performs a community service. They say it gets the message out that there are sex offenders among us who pose a threat to our kids.
"Media has done a tremendous service to our nation by bringing awareness to the issue. Proactive online investigations are effective in identifying and ultimately catching child sexual predators, when conducted by proper law enforcement authorities," said John Shehan, the Cyber Tipline program manager at the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children.
"Awareness and the identification of these individuals is the first step in the process. …[But] trained law enforcement … should be conducting these types of investigations to ensure the highest possible conviction rate."
"[Pedophilia] is an epidemic. We can't just go door-to-door to raise awareness, or even just print it on a newspaper. It's not enough," Cornett said. "We need to get the media in these guys' faces. If we're not looking, they're going to be looking out for their next victim."
Ok, that's one side. The story also tells the other side (emphasis is mine):
But some critics say these shows contribute more to a sense of hysteria than anything else, since most abuse cases involve children being molested in the home.
"Sexual predators running around, picking up children off the 'Net are not an epidemic … ["To Catch a Predator"] focuses on the equivalent of a sexual straw man, turning the stranger-predator into the 'epidemic,'" said Pierre Tristam, a columnist at the Daytona Beach News-Journal in Florida, who recently wrote a controversial article on the popular "Dateline" series and says the shows epitomize "tabloid pulp."
"[NBC's predator series] should quit borrowing from the shabby techniques of reality TV and return to the ethics and demands of journalism," Tristam said.
"Because people feel vulnerable and angry, shows that appear to be taking steps to solve the problem [of sexual violence against children] are appealing," added Jill Levenson, a professor at Lynn University in Florida who studies social policies dealing with sex offenders. "But [the shows] are not representative of 'typical' child sexual abuse cases," in which children are victimized by someone they know and trust.
She also said the vast media attention has made it appear that the rate of sex crimes is rising. "In actuality," she said, "sex crime rates, like other serious, non-sexual crimes, have declined substantially over the past decade, based on both official crime reports and victim reports."
According to Justice Department statistics, most sexual perpetrators are well known to their victims. Strangers committed only seven percent of sexual assaults against children in 2002. In 2000, child sex-abuse victims identified their abusers as family members in 34 percent of cases, and as acquaintances in 59 percent of cases.
"Journalists tend to oversimplify a problem that exists," Lombardi said. " ... The more that people get to know about what
"Sexual predators running around, picking up children off the 'Net are not an epidemic … ["To Catch a Predator"] focuses on the equivalent of a sexual straw man, turning the stranger-predator into the 'epidemic,'" said Pierre Tristam, a columnist at the Daytona Beach News-Journal in Florida, who recently wrote a controversial article on the popular "Dateline" series and says the shows epitomize "tabloid pulp."
"[NBC's predator series] should quit borrowing from the shabby techniques of reality TV and return to the ethics and demands of journalism," Tristam said.
"Because people feel vulnerable and angry, shows that appear to be taking steps to solve the problem [of sexual violence against children] are appealing," added Jill Levenson, a professor at Lynn University in Florida who studies social policies dealing with sex offenders. "But [the shows] are not representative of 'typical' child sexual abuse cases," in which children are victimized by someone they know and trust.
She also said the vast media attention has made it appear that the rate of sex crimes is rising. "In actuality," she said, "sex crime rates, like other serious, non-sexual crimes, have declined substantially over the past decade, based on both official crime reports and victim reports."
According to Justice Department statistics, most sexual perpetrators are well known to their victims. Strangers committed only seven percent of sexual assaults against children in 2002. In 2000, child sex-abuse victims identified their abusers as family members in 34 percent of cases, and as acquaintances in 59 percent of cases.
"Journalists tend to oversimplify a problem that exists," Lombardi said. " ... The more that people get to know about what
Tristam's article said:
When anchor chairs are filled by the likes of Katie Couric and Charles Gibson, it's more about putting a good face on the news than breaking it.
No wonder the networks' news divisions are indistinguishable from their entertainment function. One running example stands out as an illustration of the networks' degradation -- and irresponsibility.
On Nov. 11, 2004, NBC's Dateline aired a segment called "To Catch a Predator." Reporter Chris Hanson went on the prowl in a New York City suburb with tabloid journalism's standards -- the hidden camera, the ambush, the crucifixion on camera -- and with a little help lured 18 men in three days to a house where the men thought they might have sex with a teen they'd chatted with online. The "teen" was actually one of a stash of adults at an organization called Perverted-Justice, a Web-based organization that turns the table on would-be predators. A few staffers and many volunteers at Perverted-Justice pose as boys or girls, open themselves up to sexually explicit online chats with adults, then set up stings with the police, or Dateline, to nab them. NBC's segment was such a ratings success that Dateline did it again in November 2005, then again in February 2006, then made it a running series, with four shows between April 27 and May 31. At least one of those drew more than 10 million voyeurs -- I mean viewers.
No wonder the networks' news divisions are indistinguishable from their entertainment function. One running example stands out as an illustration of the networks' degradation -- and irresponsibility.
On Nov. 11, 2004, NBC's Dateline aired a segment called "To Catch a Predator." Reporter Chris Hanson went on the prowl in a New York City suburb with tabloid journalism's standards -- the hidden camera, the ambush, the crucifixion on camera -- and with a little help lured 18 men in three days to a house where the men thought they might have sex with a teen they'd chatted with online. The "teen" was actually one of a stash of adults at an organization called Perverted-Justice, a Web-based organization that turns the table on would-be predators. A few staffers and many volunteers at Perverted-Justice pose as boys or girls, open themselves up to sexually explicit online chats with adults, then set up stings with the police, or Dateline, to nab them. NBC's segment was such a ratings success that Dateline did it again in November 2005, then again in February 2006, then made it a running series, with four shows between April 27 and May 31. At least one of those drew more than 10 million voyeurs -- I mean viewers.