Dateline Sex Stings. Sensationalism or Public Service?

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

"Enquiring Minds Want to Know!"

[TheFriedPiper]

1. BS pablum for the dumbed down masses

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

3. Ka-CHING!

Spot on!

[waiting for hope]

2. Sensationalism....

How many of them have said they have seen the program and still do stupid shit and get caught...there was a great article in the WAPost today about exhibitionists:


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/19/AR2006091901439.html?referrer=email

People seem to crave popularity or celebrity more than they fear the loss of privacy. Some of this extroversion is crass self-promotion.....

While the article is about the internet, I think it also applies here - I think they may want their fifteen minutes of fame.

Oh my, am I an Exhibitionist?

[aikoaiko]

4. both -- its great tv

[yellowdogmi]

5. While it comes across as a public service

that I am in favor of, I believe that it borders on entrapment.

[Subdivisions]

6. I have four daughters...to me it's a public service, though

does tend toward the sensational. But, in this case, so be it.

[derby378]

7. I'm just waiting for the time Predator Suspect #523 walks in with a gun...

...shoots Chris, shoots the cameramen and the boom mic guy, and then dies in a hail of gunfire from the cops camped out in the mulberry bushes.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

8. Now THAT would be great TV!

:sarcasm:

We need to go ahead and re-introduce the Roman Circus.

[seriousstan]

9. That Predator Suspect #523 would have a gun when meeting a 13 yr old

for what reason? To do extreme harm to the 13 yr old.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

11. No, because he might be a RKBA/NRA fan as well?

Just hoping he can save America from bad guys as he goes to his molestation appt.

[seriousstan]

15. Remember, puff, puff, pass. You appear to be bogarting.

And leave the bong water alone, it's making you unable to follow a thread and your breath stinks.

[Armstead]

10. The movie Network come to life

That show is horrible, horrible, horrible.

If they had done just one show, as an actual news report, maybe.

But they are literally turning real-life human tragedy into Reality Show Infotainment.

NBC has fallen into the gutter.

[EST]

13. Exactly!

[keopeli]

12. Sensationalism - The police send a swat force to arrest a lonely, single..

man. His intentions are certainly wrong, but the event is a PR spectacle being capiolized on by Dateline and the Cops.

A public service would be to simply do the online chat, arrange to meet and have a couple of police officers/investigators to answer the door.

As it is, the program probably encourages these perverts (by publicising and glamourizing the event) as much as it discourages them (by arrest and public humiliation).

I can live happily without the video footage and just see a report on the success of the operation.

[tinfoil tiaras]

14. imho, it protects you better from internet pervs than internet filters do

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

16. Since I don't have to worry about internet pervs, I'll take your word for

it.

:toast:

[tinfoil tiaras]

20. hahaha

thanks! :hi:

[Raine]

17. Both

so :shrug: if it serves both purposes I'm all for it, pervs are the scum of the Earth.

[bridgit]

18. Sensationalism imo...

[Dinger]

19. I Don't Know, But . . . Question:

If I call someone (an adult) and say I'm 13 or 14 (and I'm really older than 18), and they say they want to meet me somewhere, say a restaurant, are they (perpetrator) busted for 50 years or more? Obviously, if I AM 13 or 14, they need to slowly rot in hell, but I was just wondering about this. To be fair, I've only seen 2 or 3 of these Dateline shows. I think it is 50% sensationalism 50% public service.