'To Catch a Predator' aired from 2004 to 2007 and featured a formula where men were lured by decoys into a trap set by host Chris Hansen under the purview of law enforcement. This TV show highlighted the dark aspects of child predation while drawing viewers in with a mix of horror and entertainment value, despite raising ethical concerns regarding prosecution and potential media influence on real-life policing. The show's infamy was marked by its catchphrases and the public's morbid fascination with the humiliation of captured predators.
"Backstopped by the sheer horror of the crimes that its subjects intended to commit against children, 'To Catch a Predator' effectively turned an unspeakable act into the stuff of a public spectacle."
"People reveled in the sheer reality and schadenfreude of watching a bad guy's life come to an end before their eyes, and few would argue that the predators ensnared by Hansen's trap deserved a much different fate."
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