However, delve deeper down the rabbit hole and the show itself may be deemed pervasive itself. The show has come under fire for luring the ‘predators’ into committing crimes, mishandling cases so that in many instances they are not even convicted^. being more concerned with entertaining audiences than informing them properly of the moral crisis of paedophiles and indeed, creating such a moral crisis in the first place. At the heart of this all is the image of the ‘predator’ and what follows is a yarn ball of other issues of important significance, such as the blurring of lines between the media and law, manipulating the public’s interest in what interests the public, issues of privacy in opposition to freedom of press and the inflation of social issues in the interest of profit under the guise of an altruistic mission of social interest.

[singlepic id=81 w=320 h=240 float=left]The success of ‘To Catch a Predator’ is no surprise; as Dennis Howitt notes, “just two topics dominate the field of crime and the media – sexual crimes and violent crimes.”  It is undoubtedly a sexual crime – or several potentially sexual crimes – that is reported in ‘To Catch a Predator’, though debatable whether it is a violent one. However, it is a debate that is easy to lose, as the grooming and instigating of sexual activity with a minor is all too easy to be considered “violent.” This is the image that ‘Dateline’ continuously attempts to portray in ‘To Catch a Predator’, as suggested from the title, the show displays the capture of ’predators’. This label alone is of significance as it is tied to connotations of a hunter, killer, carnivore and exploitative individual, a dangerous stalker hiding in the shadows, waiting; the men in the show are named guilty before even appearing. This use of description and labeling in turn, paints the supposed victims as the opposite; prey, victims, innocent and fragile beings whose very innocence is in danger their existence at risk. And just as these victims could be any daughter, son or child, the show is eager to display that the predators too, can take any shape or form.

The sensational opening to the show fires a montage of the new and upcoming predators at the viewer like a machine gun; in rapid succession come the men into the private space of Dateline’s hired home, which is suggested could be anyone’s home. As they enter, the scene transitions to the scene of the next predator, then the next, and the next with the aid of vertical left-to-right wipes, symbolizing a door slamming shut (complete with sound effect) to emphasize the seemingly endless number of deranged men knock, knock, knocking at heaven’s doors… or so they think. “It’s happening all over the country!” exclaims ‘Dateline’ presenter Stone Phillips as cuts come clean and fast of the perpetrators of the episode, as if a conga line of pedophiles is strolling into the house. A red curtain hangs over the door, and an assortment of heads break through it; white men, black men, Indian men, Chinese! Old men, young men, look at all of these! Hansen states they are a “parade” of potential predators. The curtain serves as an unveiling of the next oblivious guest of the moment as they peer in cautiously in a comedic manner.

[singlepic id=85 w=320 h=240 float=right]Indeed, the men can be considered ‘guests’ considering the format of the show; upon entering the house, the guests are met by Chris Hansen, the show’s host, narrator and all seeing, all knowing God. Nick Couldry gives the role of television as a site for self-disclosure, likening it to “the medieval confessional box”.  Although the men have been lured into Hansen’s territory and are under no obligation whatsoever to give any form of self-disclosure or confession, Michel Foucault comments that the ritual of confession “unfolds within a power relationship; for one does not confess without the presence (or virtual presence) of a partner who is not simply the interlocutor but the authority who requires the confession”.

As Hansen confronts the men, he does so with poise, confidence, sternness and calmness. Through the multiple cameras installed in the arena of a kitchen or garden in which the sting takes place, it is easy to see the polarisation between Hansen and his ‘guest’. He stands firm and tall, leaning and towering over his fresh catch, who often squirms uncomfortably, shaking, sweating, eyes darting. It is clear who the authority is, as exemplified by many of the men’s willingness to follow Hansen’s commands to “take a seat right there,” or empty their pockets and place any items (usually condoms) upon a table top. At this point, the men are completely oblivious to the fact they are being recorded for national television or of Hansen’s true identity, claiming they came to see his daughter or asking him “am I under arrest?” Hansen takes on the role of the father and police officer, protector of the children these men seek to prey upon and enforcer of the law, which as discussed later, may not be far from the truth.

However, Foucault also describes the ritual as one that “produces intrinsic modifications in the person who articulates it: it exonerates, redeems, and purifies him.” In this statement there is a connection and deviation of Foucault’s confessional ritual, as Hansen does not exonerate, redeem or purify the men, but he does the opposite; with a steely gaze fixated upon the predators’ (which are usually pinballing around in their sockets) he asks why they are there. They lie. Hansen probes further and further, now belittling the child predators to a child-like state themselves. Their red hands have been caught in the cookie jar and fearing the parent’s wrathful retribution they lie, as Hansen bores into them to come clean.

Hansen does not exonerate, but executes; he hands them rope and plays a slow, painful game of Hangman with the men until he provides the chat logs. The end result is Hansen destroying the reputations and privacy of the men by revealing they are being filmed on national television as several crew members wielding cameras and microphones home in on the man before he is told he can leave. The men walk out of the house – some know what’s coming – and are ambushed by several police officers with laser sighted pistols and crew members armed with even more cameras. Although there are guns drawn, it is the cameras doing the shooting as the show essentially kills these men… and in the case of one man that was stung by not falling into the sting operation, this is no exaggeration as he claimed his own life.

[singlepic id=78 w=320 h=240 float=right]Similarly to talk shows, the producers of ‘To Catch a Predator’ are tasked with producing ‘reality’, a live performance which must not just be “real”, but according to Gamson “really real”  in the sense of a moment when something genuinely uncontrolled occurs. Hansen deliberately conceals his true identity to keep the men firmly in place out of fear and futility that he is the police officer there is no escape from, or a sense of security that he is the father and they may have some hope of fleeing the scene of the crime. It is not until the camera crew arrive that all hope is destroyed, the “you’ve been framed” moment or as Grindstaff calls it, the “money shot”,  the moment of raw emotion that shows how real (and humiliating) the moment is for the predators.

Unlike talk shows, the men featured in ‘To Catch a Predator’ are not willing participants in an act of self-disclosure or soul bearing. It can be argued that participants of The Jerry Springer show, despite being manipulated into emotions and performance by producers, are self-inflicting that pain through participation alone. The predators have been lured to the house via Perverted Justice decoys employed by ‘Dateline’. The men have their faces, names, professions, sometimes their addresses, phone numbers and quite often… their genitals displayed on national television without consent. Through the construction of the show and the label of ‘predator’, the men are not only stripped of their humanity, but also their entitlement to any kind of privacy. Compared to the average talk show, ‘Dateline’ is afforded a wealth of liberties to exploit these men and relentlessly represent them as irredeemable mutants.

[singlepic id=80 w=320 h=240 float=left]Such downplaying of the men as human beings is evident in every sting, some more evident than others. In almost every sting aired, a short, select transcript of the online conversations between the decoy and suspect is acted out by two voiceovers that contrast heavily; there is that of the victim/decoy whose high pitched, youthful voiceover is doubtful, confused, and hesitant with the script selected to suggest retreat such as “I dunno” or “I’ve never done that before”. It is the voice of purity and snow white innocence. The suspects voice actor, however, is suitably sleazy; nasally, heavy on breath and complacent. It is the inflection of disgust, darkness and one can almost see the ooze leaking out of the television, reeking of the sewer that the stereotype of the paedophilic stalker and watcher belongs to.

Upon being confronted by Hansen, one man is reduced to tears, admitting he is ashamed of himself, it’s his first time doing this and he is not hesitant to say he has committed a wrong act. His attempts at lying bleed out through the paper cuts  delivered by Hansen’s chat log evidence pile, revealing the man’s sending of nude photos and sexual solicitation. The sight of a grown man’s lies losing weight before his very eyes before breaking down emotionally is pitiful, before the omnipotent narrative voice of Hansen drowns out the sobs and quivering voice of the actor, downplaying the raw and human emotion that does not fit into the puzzle of a dangerous, merciless animal such as a predator.

Hansen deflects the man’s emotional breakdown as a “tearful performance for an actor that has played many roles”. Unless one has the power to read minds – and if we are to ignore Hansen’s apparent ability to do so for a moment – there is no way to tell whether the suspect is attempting to deceive Hansen through crocodile tears and whether it would protect him from any repercussions. At the very least, however, Hansen’s biting back by downplaying it in accordance of the man’s acting profession is useful in keeping him consistent with the image of the predator; he frames him as an actor, a liar, a performer who would attempt to worm his way out of any situation… no matter how futile the prospect seems. It can be argued that the man is genuinely remorseful, as emotionally disturbed as he may be mentally. But it is not in the interest of ‘Dateline’ to portray their predators as humans and certainly not to their benefit to have their audiences identify or feel sorry for them.

[singlepic id=84 w=320 h=240 float=left]Cue a later scene in the Riverside sting, in which a man uncontrollably bawls after being arrested by police officers, Hansen quickly chimes in – this time speaking directly to the audience – “remember, he wasn’t so upset when he was online trying to set up a sexual rendezvous with someone who said she was thirteen.” Here, one may suspect that Hansen is actively attempting to convince the audience to feel anger, wrath and fire for the predators if there is a risk they could come across any other way. Actively backtracking to any evidence of the men’s undoing, Hansen’s voice gives justification for their representation; it can’t be unfair! You can’t feel sorry for them! He sent a photo of his penis to her online! Remember? Hansen’s tone throughout the show is very personal towards the viewer, constantly telling them to “remember” incidents that would frame the men in a bad light in the chance that amongst the dark storm clouds that shroud any sense of morality in them, a silver lining may break through.

He tells the viewer he will be “introducing” them to the cast of predators, or when they will be “meeting” the next one as he paces up the driveway, towards the sting house. This upholds Hansen’s authority, but also between himself and the viewer, establishes a sense of familiarity that as the executioner of these men, Hansen is on the side of the audience, he is the protector of youth, society and all that is good in the world. That he is inviting us along for the ride, giving us an open window into the dissection of these animals and in a world of endless evil; we are on the same side. We are normal and we have been given the approval of the paedophile hunter Chris Hansen. As Couldry argues, “community is reaffirmed by the display and eventual closing off of its opposite, conflict”  and so, the destruction of the predators is a necessary evil, although Hansen is quick to soften the blow, allowing the audience to sit back, relax and watch the public heckling of these men.

Interestingly, the Riverside investigation makes an attempt to provide two sides of the coin in regards to positions concerning the nature of the predator. In one corner, we have deputy district attorney Michelle Paradise, an attractive woman in a seat of power and responsibility for the county of Riverside. In the other is Dr Fred Berlin, the founder of the John’s Hopkins sexual disorder clinic. Paradise makes claims that a captured predator would probably be on the internet continuing his crusade against childhood innocence within an hour of being released from prison. Once again, Hansen as narrator takes the opportunity to speak directly to the viewer to reinforce Paradise’s one-sided conviction against the predators by stating, “as we find out, and as you’ll see, she might not be far off.”

Berlin’s account suggests that the internet gives a sense of distortion and fantasy, that some men believe they’re playing a game. Although the men should be punished, that must be combined with intense treatment and monitoring which in some cases, might last a lifetime. Berlin’s is a glass half full in the belief there is hope for many of the men arrested in the investigation… although it is likely that the statement has no relation to the fact the men have been strung up and pasted over national television for the entire country to memorize, fear and hate. Hansen himself reinforces the nature of the show by stating that “the natural reaction to a story like this is lock these guys up. Throw away the key!” yet even after Berlin’s suggestion to aid these men, he or the producers do little to quell that reaction. In fact, in what can only be an attempt to destroy the argument of Berlin and once again downplay any sympathy or understanding of the potential paedophile by raising the stakes and driving them into the collective heart of the predators.

The preceding story is an epic, sensationally suggested showdown and act of retribution on the part of a suddenly introduced woman named Desiree, who at the age of nine was “repeatedly molested”. The scene cuts to her gazing thoughtfully out of a window before the scene of a man walking up the driveway – or walking the plank – to the house obstructs half of the screen and becomes the object of her gaze. It is the man who had molested Desiree and taken her innocence from her and has now descended upon the ‘Dateline’ house to claim another supposed victim.
“I can’t believe he’s still out there doing this… it’s sickening.” Desiree states.

Desiree and her molester – now smugly pacing about the kitchen awaiting the thirteen year old – arrive in time to bury Berlin’s claims that paedophiles are in need of psychiatric guidance and aid, not the cutthroat representation and hunting that the show advocates. Faced now with a true victim… and Hansen’s emotive wording of her being “haunted” by the man and having a “shattered childhood”, there is no need for the audience to linger in a limbo of morals. To side with the predators, whose identity has now taken the form of a real rapist with a real victim would be to advocate the years of unrelenting pain and emotional scars Desiree and her two brothers faced. The narrative has become personal; one of vengeance and justice, and of course, justice will be delivered. The scene plays out like a type of soap opera, and as Jim Willis suggests, “like a soap opera, the stronger the conflict between these characters, the better the show and the greater the audience pull.”

Following the capture of Desiree’s nightmares manifest in flesh, harmony is restored, the community and Desiree is safe once more and DA Michelle Paradise enters the picture to reassure the audience with their reinforced disapproval of the predators, making the promise, and that “rest assured… they will all get jail time.”

The Riverside investigation is the one with the greatest emphasis at hinting at the rehabilitation or helping men with sexual desires aimed at pre-pubescent individuals, although it is not the only one. This is an inevitability, considering the abnormal nature of the crime and ‘Dateline’ would once again be approached by men with mental abnormalities. Although the Riverside investigation brings two different approaches of dealing with potential pedophiles to the table, in the ensuing game of tug of war, ‘Dateline’ affords Paradise the last word and the most exposure over Berlin, and the last word is that the men will all receive jail time. The final act of the drama indeed resolves most conflicts; with all predators arrested including Desiree’s personal predator… complete with head wound delivered in a brutal takedown by police officers and Paradise’s personal statement that the animals will be placed back in their cages and behind bars.

One can only then, make the deduction that ‘Dateline’ sides with Paradise’s belief in taking out these men at any cost, that they are beyond help and as this episode of ‘To Catch a Predator’ delivers the most ‘fair’ representation of predators outside of being… well, predators, it does not bode well for any other men who are to appear on the show with mental illnesses. Coupled with this, it is of importance to take into Hansen’s admittance that the nature of the story that he puts forth to viewers reinforces the desire to see the men locked up and the key thrown away. Therefore, no objective standpoint is delivered by the reporters, and the binary opposition of black vs. white continues to be fed to viewers.

Michael Parenti argues, however that “the media latch on to simple images and explanations in order to reduce their subject matter to manageable components”.   It is clear that there is a grey area that ‘Dateline’ chooses not to tread, one that is incredibly complex and hinted at through the presence of Dr Berlin in the Riverside investigation.  As Jim Willis states, “any time a complex issue (and most are complex) is boiled down to only two sides, two-valued logic is at work”  and this is woefully evident in the predator stings. This two valued logic allows producers to successfully label predators as evil and Hansen and his rag–tag team of vigilantes and police officers as ‘the good guys’. This polarity is huge, and as Willis argues, “the stronger that polarity, the stronger the news story.”  It is in the interests of the producers to maintain this polarization, which gives some explanation as to why Berlin’s arguments of sexually deviant individuals are largely scrapped from the show following the early Riverside investigation.

A sting conducted in Long Beach California features a returning guest to the show; Michael Seibert, a twenty-six year old man who receives treatment for seizures in addition to his lawyer stating he suffers from severe mental issues. Following this revelation, the scene quickly cuts to Sergeant Lee DeBrander of Long Beach police conversing with Hansen and the following exchange taking place:

[singlepic id=87 w=320 h=240 float=left]DeBrander is extremely judgmental and scathing with his tone, and displays the same two-value logic that the show advocates. Although a second offence and attempt at meeting and engaging in sexual activity with an underage girl is of concern, it is at this point that ‘Dateline’ has the opportunity to inform audiences of any complex issues surrounding the nature of the crime and the way these men think. In many of Hansen’s interrogation of the men, the host claims he wants to understand what is going inside the minds of these men, but considering how little the show focuses on their psychology and more in reinforcing that they are merely disturbed and twisted beings, his statements can be put down to the attempt to illicit emotional reactions from the stung men and entertainment of the audience.DeBrander, like Paradise show a dangerous lack of objectivity and fairness, seemingly seduced by the ease of branding these men folk devils and the ideal ‘To Catch a Predator’ presents to its viewers not to come to understand the psyche and reasoning behind such deviant behavior, but to reach for pitchforks and torches and send the men straight to hell, or at least as far away from their communities as possible.Hodge puts forth the claims that, “for some of these people, their criminal behavior itself may have become addictive. By this I mean that they are as addicted to their particular form of criminal activity, as in heroin addict to smack or an alcoholic to alcohol. This implies that they may have some difficulty in resisting committing criminal acts as would other addicts in resisting their own cravings, and it means that they would show the same apparent indifferent to consequence as do other addicts.”

Indeed, there are rehabilitation facilities for such cravings and addictions, yet the issue of such wide scope and concern fails to be taken into account by ‘Dateline’, Paradise or DeBrander. The sergeant is quick to dismiss the instance of a mental illness factoring into the case of a crime at all, merely because the suspect has a consciousness and is able to discern right from wrong. He is a man of high authority regarding criminal law, yet fails to take into consideration approaches such as that put forth by Hodge, which is completely in the interest of crime prevention, and should be taken into account.

Nonetheless, DeBrander harbors and displays an ignorance that is shocking considering his position that despite knowing right from wrong, a mental illness can and evidently in the case of Seibert, does have the potential to nudge men into dark areas. A failure to understand and take effective approaches in dealing with criminals raises serious questions about the law enforcement portrayed in stings on ‘To Catch a Predator’. If Seibert is granted no defense in a case of mental illness because of the ability to discern right from wrong, the only conclusion to take from DeBrander’s statements are that a defense would only be acceptable if the man was unable to separate societal right and wrongs, in which case, he would be a wholly more dangerous with no moral boundaries and no remorse such as that shown by Seibert (although he did commit the offence twice).

DeBrander essentially advocates the witch hunting of men who may be victim to a mental illness or craving to deviant behaviors, yet would possibly be more sympathetic to a potential sociopath. Mental illnesses are a complex issue and should be treated as such, not buried six-feet under via the word of a trusted police authority. ‘Dateline’ replaces the knowledgeable, professional and well-informed figure of Dr Berlin with prejudiced and judgmental police officers viewing the world and predators in the same black and white tones that are in line with the message, agenda, tone and framing that ‘Dateline’ employs into its investigations.

With the revelation that Seibert was convicted for an assault charge, using a bat – a “deadly weapon” Hansen kindly informs the audience – the nature of the assault accompanying the crime is kept incredibly vague by Hansen to Seibert attacking “some guy”. Typically, Hansen does not hesitate to link this occurrence in with the sting, asking the ever wise, criminological genius that is DeBrander what danger Seibert could have posed to a child if she was home alone. His estimate and fears are of course, grandiose;

“My biggest fear is that he would show up, the young teen would decide not to go through with what they had been talking about in their internet chat… he would become frustrated with that and his violent nature would come out.”

It is unclear whether DeBrander is precisely using his officer’s intuition of what would indeed happen in the instance or whether he is expressing his fears and in turn, internalized assumptions and stereotypes of the mentally ill individual. In either case, it tells a great deal about DeBrander’s position in the sting, and that he too is just as concerned with the construction and destruction of pedophiles.

The image of the police enforcer is one that we place a great degree of trust in, however. With the good vs. evil plot of ‘To Catch a Predator’, it would not take a great deal of effort to discern which side of the fence they stand on. Audiences are therefore led to believe that what officers say are considered truth and in the interest of the public. Considering Seibert committed a second offence, there is little doubt that a solution must be found, however it may be unreasonable to suggest the aggressive tactics to keep the men behind bars as Paradise and DeBrander suggest, rather than considering other views and approaches. As ‘To Catch a Predator’ is focused on constructing a label, a stereotype and collective identity of the predator, any moral damnation applied to one can easily be applied to all.

The investigation into Petaluma, California attempts to paint this label in the blackest of blacks; as Hansen welcomes the audience to their latest location, he reveals that it is “the town where John Mark Karr, former suspect in the Jonbenet Ramsay murders once lived, and the hometown of Polly Klaas a twelve year old abducted and murdered by a sex predator.” More than random trivia, it sets the tone for the potential psyche and identity of men to be stung in the ensuing episode. One former psychologist who worked in a prison with convicted paedophiles points out that,

“A lot of what passes as pedophilia does not involve physical harm to children. In fact some types of sexual offenders would be repulsed by the idea of physically harming a child. What’s driving them is a sense of wanting to be close to a child inappropriately and wrongly, and in the process of achieving this harm might be caused to the child, which is terrible, but not necessarily posing a threat to the life of that child.”

Many of the men caught in the stings relate to this explanation; they suggest they merely wanted to talk, to cuddle, to feel wanted. However, as Hansen is quick to counter these claims, there are the graphic and gory chat logs which suggest otherwise. As Berlin stated in the Riverside investigations however, this may be the anonymity and 24/7 access to the internet allowing men to take on a type of role and live out a fantasy. Further evidence comes from Kimberley S. Young, founder of the Centre for Online Addiction. Speaking at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association in August 2000, where she suggested that ““it is important to emphasize that what a participant says and does on-line does not necessarily represent what he or she desires in real life.”

[singlepic id=82 w=320 h=240 float=right]And indeed, upon meeting decoys, the men rarely display the sexual aggression, confidence or intent as displayed in the chat logs. Most often, these dangerous predators are revealed to be lonely old men, or socially awkward individuals. And whilst these men harbor sexual feelings towards children, D.J West argues that “they might never act upon those feelings unless they were sufficiently motivated to do so, with a suitable victim in a situation that allowed the abuse to take place.”  Considering the amount of men that are first time offenders, this holds some weight. And furthermore, considering the lengths Perverted Justice go to in order to have men turn up sting houses, the motivation and result of the men cannot be blamed solely on the incoming men alone.

Stone Phillips admits that the “decoy is the first to bring up the subject of sex”  yet, once the hook is baited the men run with the conversation “like you wouldn’t believe.” He holds the view that the men are not victims of entrapment, but enticement. Considering the professional viewpoints and approaches to pedophiles however, this is up for debate. Nonetheless, Phillips claims “the ultimate responsibility lies with the men who come knocking on the door”, yet again; Perverted Justice decoys display a relentless approach in having the men turn up to the sting house. For example, in the Greenville, Ohio investigations one man fails to turn up for a sting. What follows is the decoy phoning the man and exclaiming to him “it’s not fair!” that he refused to turn up. This echoes the events that led to the death of Assistant District Attorney, Louis Conradt in Texas Murphy.

In this investigation, Conradt made contact with a male decoy from Perverted Justice, before quickly backing out after a phone conversation and deleting his (fake) Myspace. The events that follow have police chief Billy Murphy obtaining an arrest warrant and stating that in order to make the arrest the suspect does not need to arrive at the sting house. This contradicts the statements made by Stone Phillips deflecting all responsibility to the men knocking at doors. Awaiting response from a swat team for 45 minutes, the cavalry finally arrives heavily armed with shotguns, in tactical position and approaching the house. Upon entering, Conradt proceeded to shoot himself in the head, dying shortly after.

On his personal blog, Hansen states that ‘Dateline’ is able to show the faces of the men caught in stings as “‘Dateline’ is a news program not an entertainment program.”  Another post on MNBC made roughly a year later however has Hansen claim that “the reality of television is that if Hansen pitched a story about online sex predators and all he had were a few interviews and pictures of fingers typing on a keyboard, his producers would probably pass.” Indeed, predator stories are not a new occurrence, therefore as is the case in many news stories, “journalists will soon look for a new angle to keep the story ‘fresh’ and give it a novelty factor” according to Yvonne Jewkes . As mentioned before, ‘To Catch a Predator’ borrows the tried; the true and tested formulae from sensationalist talk shows. Thus, “the reporting of crime news is also of importance and is no less shaped by the mission to entertain”. It is this “quest for eyeballs”  that concerns Bob Steele of the Poynter Institute of California, questioning the legitimate journalistic purpose of a news program that runs the same story over and over.

[singlepic id=88 w=320 h=240 float=left]A large part of this performance and cause for concern is the involvement of Perverted Justice and local police departments. Aside from the aforementioned ruthless pursuit of potential targets by Perverted Justice and its decoys, they are a vigilante group, yet in investigations appear to be beyond the law. During the Riverside investigations, sergeant Chad Bianco of the Riverside Police Department states that he and his men would follow the lead of Perverted Justice members, being told when to come out of hiding spots to apprehend and arrest targets: “they would let us know when someone was getting close.” The police officers wait in a mobile home, watching as the sting targets arrive at the soon-to-be scene of the crime. However, as Billy Murphy stated in the Murphy Texas incident, these men automatically commit a felony the moment they make contact and sexual advances with a presumed minor online. With the men technically already criminals, the officers nonetheless wait for permission and commands from Perverted Justice members, “ready and waiting for suspects to show up at the house in an attempt to molest a child.” It is not until the vigilante team leader, named “Frag” gives the order via two-way radio to make the arrest do they finally do their job.

In addition to being led by ‘Dateline’ and Perverted Justice, police officers around the nation become performers in the stings. They are equipped with video cameras, microphones and paid for their participation to enhance the spectacle of the show. The stings in Fort Myers, Florida depict a police officer garbed in a ghillie suit, hiding in the bushes. When the men leave the house, they are confronted by four policemen keeping their distance, before the camouflaged officer leaps out of the bushes solo, and takes down the man. Similarly, the vigilantes of Perverted Justice are paid to coordinate the sting, and ‘Dateline’ essentially bargains with them to create news stories, rather than reporting them.

This intrusive, check book style of reporting can be likened to the Woodstein Approach to journalism; the investigative approach. Willis states it is a perspective that “often leaves the reporter with a feeling that people are more wrong than right with regards to morality and contributions to society,”  which is exemplified by ‘Dateline’ senior investigative producer Allan Maraynes saying that despite the difficult ethical questions raised by the show, ‘Dateline’ “believe we’re doing the socially responsible thing … and the journalistically responsible thing.”  Willis also suggests that investigative journalists experience another characteristic: “a belief that, in most cases, the ends justify the means of getting the story.”

For ‘Dateline’, this includes hiring vigilantes to create news stories, paying police officers to perform, and coaxing them into pursuing men such as the aforementioned Conrad. In ‘Dateline’’s depiction of the events, the police rushed Conrad’s home in order to avoid evidence being deleted that could be used to prosecute the assistant DA according to Bill Murphy, the same man who stated that a felony had already taken place. However, the news program became news itself following these events, with ABC’s 20/20 Brian Ross making an investigation – ironically – into an investigative news program. Criminal District Attorney John R. Roach is revealed to have warned Murphy police that the cooperation, or more suitably, exploitation by ‘Dateline’ was a bad idea. The document sent states “we are in the law enforcement business, not show business.” However, there’s no business like show business, and so plans were carried out nonetheless. Ross reveals that every man arrested during the sting in Murphy, Texas had charges dropped, allowing the men to return to the communities freely, despite ‘Dateline’ and the various guests such as Michelle Paradise’s contention that the men should be locked away at all costs, due to the dangers they pose to youth. Two detectives seen in the original sting are revealed to have been following instructions of the producers. They suggest that production requirements became more important than police procedure and criminal cases were secondary. Perverted Justice is paid as much as $100,000 per episode for their participation by ‘Dateline’.

Further criticism came from Marsha Bartel, a veteran journalist and NBC news producer that was fired from the network following her complaints of the violation of ethical guidelines listed above and an investigator revealing that Conradt‘s arrest was hastened in order for ‘Dateline’ crew having plane tickets to fly home the same afternoon.

‘Dateline’s ‘To Catch a Predator’ series is one caught in its own web of deceit and contradictions in order to make spectacles out of people, ultimately ending the life of Conradt. The cancellation of the show followed, although the program left in its wake the moral panic it began from the inflation of the dangers of the would-be predators. Earlier airings of the show ended on a note of warning and foreboding danger completely in line with the sensational stings. In an attempt to construct a sense of fear completely detached from the entertaining elements of the program, the scene of a child’s room is shown, the camera panning through it, littered with toys lying dead in the darkness, the only source of light coming from the moonlight piercing through windows and laying down skeletons of the window frames across the floor. The voiceover of Terri Schroeder, president of i-SAFE.com, an e-safety foundation questions the audience with rhetoric; “if you could put on cyber glasses and see who’s peering in your window?” A cut to the image of a young girl typing on her laptop, obscured by the door frame, the audience now seeing through the eyes of a hidden predator.
“Who’s in your daughter’s room?” Another cut to behind the supposed daughter of the viewer, peering over her shoulder.

This image and those discussed which contribute to the reconstruction of seemingly ordinary men, albeit mentally disturbed contribute to the spectacle of an inflated perception of online sex predator crime. Jewkes puts forth that “pedophilia constitutes the moral panic of our age”  and ‘Dateline’ found itself a chicken that laid golden eggs.  Being the moral panic of our age, the issues put forth by ‘To Catch a Predator’ had the ability – and still does – to draw together communities in a sense of collective outrage and in turn, allowing the core to harbor a sense of complacent affirmation in their own, superior sense of morality. With ‘Dateline’ defining evil, the audience is able to discern what is good. The ‘predator’ metaphor used liberally throughout the show “creates the appropriate sense of otherness, either through disease or perhaps animal metaphors”  However, this too is a danger in itself.

This labeling may be more harmful in the long run, and can also be attributed to reoccurring cases such as that of Seibert; Julia Long suggests that “if all your identity is that you are a pedophile, that’s your label – that’s who you are first and foremost – then it’s almost as if you have nothing to lose. You are going to be a pedophile whether you offend or don’t offend.”  Wilkins also describes that being isolated allows groups to develop its own norms and values, which society thereafter perceives as even more deviant before, resulting in an out of control cycle of deviant behavior.  Jewkes describes the term “deviance” as referring to “public and political reactions to minority or marginalized individuals and groups who appear to be some kind of threat to consensual values and interests.”  Mass media are instrumental in the defining a groups and acts as “deviant” and shows such as ‘To Catch a Predator’ can therefore be viewed as instrumental and responsible for this out of control cycle of deviant behavior, first by constructing and reinforcing the image of the ‘predator’, which in turn has the targets conform to the label. Despite its apparent interest in serving society, ‘Dateline’ can consequently be viewed as the mad scientist creating the monsters it scours the United States in search of and in hopes of defeating.

Although this may defeat the purpose of ‘Dateline’s intent to serve society, it is well within their interests in the self-service of ratings and profits. As a highly rated show, it can be argued that ‘Dateline’ actually relies on the involvement and existence of these men… for how does one catch a predator, if there are no predators? In its enduring attempts to create the stereotype of the sexual predator, ‘Dateline’ essentially releases them back into the wild, a media machine concerned with a cycle of churning out its own brand of monsters that fly the coop, only to be lured back. The show’s accusatory mentality sparks a moral panic, revealing that the new stereotype of the pedophile is not that of the hunchback lurking around schools, spying on children… but he could be anyone, and anywhere. Public demand for such shows and the capture of the men increases, the predators become a type of currency, puppets to be controlled and sold for profit, like a modern, legal slave trade. Social concerns are constructed, bent and twisted to a capitalist idea under the guise of a service for the good of the people, a selfish, atheist production posing as an altruistic and selfless one.

If we are to accept ‘Dateline’s two-valued logic of viewing the world in black and whites, than indeed, the mass media itself is the predator of mass society lurking in the shadows itself. Silverman and Wilson state that “while pedophiles were being targeted as “icons of evil”, the dangers for children did not come simply from pedophiles but also from broader cultural phenomena at work in society.” Consider the ongoing sexualisation of teenagers in pop culture today, from Britney Spears depicted as a sexy schoolgirl, sixteen-year old Gossip Girl star Taylor Momsen being featured all over the web in little to no clothes, boasting her vibrator is her best friend  and the recent outbreak of “Bieber Fever” in teenage girls worldwide, conveying their love for child star, Justin Bieber and depictions of him being a heartthrob. The January issue of Vanity Fair 2011 depicts Bieber (sixteen years of age) on its cover smothered in lipstick smears, being pulled away by the tie of a supposed female admirer.  The gradual process of teen pop star and actress Miley Cyrus has been in effect before she was of legal age of consent, including the revealing leaked photos of her when she was just fifteen. Would this not be considered inappropriate or borderline child pornography? Why do the media and all seeing eyes of the law see it fit to sexualize teens and have these images freely circulate across the web? Would the images suggesting sexually active and provocative teens not fuel the fire within the loins of potential child molesters?

It would appear that preventative measures are not as favorable as the enduring witch hunt of such people, as is suggested by Chris Hansen, Michelle Paradise and the majority of society. Therapists suggest in that in the mass depiction and spread of personal details of pedophiles and community notification “can be seen as a failure of the community – an absence of community working together to manage the risks posed by pedophiles.”  The suggestion of acknowledging pedophiles as part of the community and including them within it is an unorthodox approach to a solution to child molestation, and most certainly one that will never come into effect. Feedback for ‘To Catch a Predator’ on the NBC website have viewers sending in their views on the show, one man suggesting the men caught in stings “need to be gotten off the streets…and hung or drawn and quartered or something equally as painful”.

Considering it is the media machine that churns out stereotypes and labels, and causes the cycles of moral panics, unfortunately, much of the power to bring about such a change in the treatment and steering away from the blind condemnation of deranged and sick individuals is in that possession, or as Willis puts it, “not only can the media be used as national stimulants, but they also can be used as national sedatives, exerting a calming and stabilizing influence on society.”  However, as FAIR reporter Steve Rendall states; “There is money to be made from fear—and business has been good for those hawking the online child predator threat.”  As once said by Andre Maurois, “business is a combination of war and sport,” and the predator hunting is here to stay.