[untrained skeptic]

They weren’t trying to do a “good thing” — they were trying to boost ratings.

The two don't have to be mutually exclusive, and I don't see how they are in this case.

I’m not sticking up for the pervs, but law enforcement should do their job without all the fanfare BS.

So law enforcement should refuse to cooperate if a private organization chooses to do all the investigative work and collect the evidence of a crime? Are you saying that the police should just ignore the evidence that has been gathered?

Private individuals do not have to sit back and wait until the police find out that people are committing crimes and see if the police ever gather evidence to charge these people. Private individuals cannot violate the law in their attempts to gather evidence of a crime, but it doesn't appear that NBC was violating the law.

[GadareneDemoniac]

NBC cares not a whit about your or anybody else’s children. They want ratings — period.

If private individuals have information about criminal activity, of course they should report it to law enforcement.

The question is how active should private citizens be in identifying criminal activity. Does that include setting up a private facility to spend time and money on the net trolling for pervs?

Wouldn’t a better solution be for parents to monitor their children’s internet activities just like they watch them in a public park or at a mall?

[Dante3]

Dateline was doing a great public service. They broke no laws, helped out law-enforcement - and saved who knows how many youngsters. As a parent, I am grateful what they did. They deserved getting high ratings. As you said, those two do not have to be mutually exclusive.