How to Catch a “Predator”
Situation Definition
The show was centered around a touchy subject for many, which is adult men attempting to have sexual encounters with underage children. The basis of the show seemed very genuine and authentic when it first began to catch steam. The police would involve the perpetrators in a “sting” operation which would then be caught on camera for millions and millions to see. The show lasted for 3 years collecting millions of viewers and generating millions in revenue for NBC as a company. Those numbers became tainted when a perpetrator that the show lured in, killed himself in the midst of a sting operation because he had gotten caught.
Analysis
The first journalistic ethical problem I see in this is the fact that NBC took child rape/molestation and sensationalized it to such an extreme extent. NBC Dateline partnered up with a group called Perverted-Justice, whose aim is to catch predators online where most of them do their dirty work. By Dateline NBC joining Perverted-Justice but making a million dollar show out of it, it then sensationalized a very serious issue (Rogers, Stone, 2017). This would then make the journalism that much more unethical because it is not about bringing predators to justice, it is about ratings and excitement which is wrong on all journalistic standards. Journalists should break the news, not make the news. And the sensationalizing of the very touchy issue took precedence over the actual news that could have been broken to save citizens. All of which is seemingly justified with episodes of the show still being online to see at MSNBC.com. (McCollam, 2007).
The second ethical issue about the case is the stakeholder and legal ramifications that “To Catch a Predator” caused in its tenure. The main stakeholders are the perpetrators and their families. One of the journalistic principles is to minimize harm, and the show maximizes it for not just the men they catch but more so to their families. Once these men are plastered for millions to see, they not only have to deal with the consequences of their actions legally, but also the consequences of them being on television. This maximizing of harm drove a man to take his life while they were filming the show, proving the ramifications of non-ethical reporting. Also, legally some courts denied to pursue charges against some of the men because of jurisdictional discrepancies, and lack of evidence (McBride, 2007). So now, these men and their families’ name has been plastered for all to see, and because of NBC Dateline’s show, legal charges could not even be filed. That is a huge ethical concern and can cause irreparable damage that NBC Dateline themselves just cannot fix (Death).
Also, Dateline NBC worked with police officials on every single sting operation. Sometimes even suggesting to officers where the suspects may be or what steps the officers should take (McBride). Officers using journalistic material to solve real crimes is extremely, ethically foul. “The public relies on journalists to be independent, to question the cops about their methods, not help them. It might make for good video, if the camera person is in on the stakeout. But it’s not good journalism (McBride, 2007).”
Conclusion
In my opinion, journalists should use the resources that they have to cover the story in the best way possible. While the show had enough resources to not only cover the news, but make it a television show, I don’t think that was in the best interest of the citizen. The show started out with a utilitarian ethical position, but later took the role of an ethical egoist nature. The lives of the suspects and their families’ were never factored into the network’s decision making until a man took his own life and it was too late.
References
- Rogers, S. Stone, (2017) “Who’s the Predator?”
- McCollam, (2007) “The Shame Game”
http://archives.cjr.org/feature/the_shame_game.php
- McBride, (2007) “What’s Wrong with ‘To Catch a Predator?”
https://www.poynter.org/2007/whats-wrong-with-to-catch-a-predator/83888/