Arguments Against Perverted Justice In To Catch A Predator

Nearly a decade ago thousands of people watched the controversial, ratings-grabbing television series on NBC’s Dateline. “To Catch a Predator” raised serious ethical questions throughout its show time from 2004-2007.

Dateline worked directly with Perverted Justice, an advocacy group that provides decoys to message would-be predators with explicit language to lure them into meeting these young girls and boys. Perverted Justice methods are controversial because the potential predator always has to make the first move. The decoy uses a questionable young looking person and chat with older men. Arguments against Perverted Justice suggest the focus to “catch a predator” should not be embarrassing, rather, the dialogue should ask these older men,

The police would not have been there to arrest these men if Dateline NBC never contacted Perverted-Justice. Should NBC be working close with the police and Perverted Justice? The techniques are appropriate for the police to work with Perverted Justice, but not for journalism.

Journalist go undercover for their last resort during an investigation. Ethically, parallel investigations are messy. This article is a case study for journalist’s dilemma that demonstrates how complicated working alongside advocacy agencies and the police. The police want to arrest the pedophiles, journalists want to inform the public about the threat of pedophiles, and Perverted Justice want to expose these potential pedophiles before they attack children.

Another reason why Dateline NBC show “To Catch a Predator” had an ethical dilemma was when the Dateline Camera crew showed up at Prosecutor Louis Conradt Jr.’s home in Terrell, Texas, the police forced their way into the house, and the police found the 56-year-old prosecutor holding a semiautomatic handgun and fired a bullet into his own head. This is very concerning that a television show exposes these “normal” people who have to live with being labeled a “predator” for the rest of their life. This impacts them to the core. Whenever they apply for jobs, confront their friends and family, neighbors, and live everyday in society, they have to be shamed. Journalist