I think the commercialization of catching criminals instead of educating on their methods is bad. I will watch the newest A24 biopic on Chris Hansen, but have to admit that I find it okay to portray him and his actions as controversial.
See the documentary on child predator EDP: There's an interesting scene where a YouTuber is confronted by Chris Hansen and accused of simply catching predators for the virality and views. The YouTuber simply replies asking if this wasn't Hansen's whole business model.
There is a distinct line between education and getting attention through controversy. While To Catch A Predator certainly made people more aware of the dangers of chatting and meeting with random people on the internet, especially for children, that was more of a by-product than its purpose. If the goal was education, why were methods of protecting you or your children never mentioned? Why were only individuals shamed, instead of pointing out similarities in their communication? Why was it a filmed like a late night drama instead of, you know, education...
@ErikUden if the medium is the message then TV (and YouTube) are incapable of providing meaningful education. TCAP and similar will always be entertainment