At first glance Dateline: To Catch a Predator seems like really exploitive television. The Perverted Justice organization goes undercover as teenage girls in chat rooms, talks to men who have elicited there affections (usually by promising to bring lube and sending photos of their genitalia), invite them to their homes (where the “teen” will be home alone), have a young looking 19 year old actress pose as the teen to greet them at the door, then Chris Hansen steps out to grill the man, cops arrest him outside and Dateline's cameras catch it all.
Exploitive? Yes, but to a good end. Although many disagree, there are several debates online. This is a show that may be deterring a very real problem, and as salacious as it is, it is a show that might end up making a difference in the world. After all, how many men want their perverted emails read aloud on TV? Oh, and it is also totally riveting.
But what do you think?