In the early 2000s, if your idea of a cheap thrill was to see presumed sicko pedophiles caught on camera as they advance upon their ostensibly underage prey, NBC’s To Catch a Predator was your show.
The host, Chris Hansen, had once been considered a serious journalist, spearheading investigative reports on events like the Columbine shootings and the World Trade Center attacks.
But on the sleazy, sensationalistic To Catch a Predator, he was more of a vigilante showman.
The show worked like this: A crusading organization called Perverted Justice would initiate conversations in online chatrooms designed to attract potential sex offenders.
Then they’d be lured to sting houses outfitted with hidden cameras, where Hansen and his crew would await their arrival, ready to enact a pruriently dramati…
المصدر: time
