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More Q&A from “To Catch a Predator” host’s presentation
As promised, here are some of the more interesting questions, and Chris Hansen’s responses, from the Dateline NBC journalist’s presentation at the Marriott Cincinnati North last night.
The crowd, as mentioned, was very attentive as Hansen talked about creating and filming “To Catch a Predator.” That attitude flowed into the Q&A session that followed, and Hansen spent the better part of an hour answering questions.
Several questions hit on what happened after the cameras were put away. One woman asked if Hansen had ever been called to testify in any cases connected to the show.
“That was one of my concerns at the beginning,” he said. “I didn’t want to spend half my time in court.” He added that the transcripts from online conversations with the suspects often provided enough evidence to preclude testimony.
Others asked about what had happened to some of the men caught in the “Predator” investigations. One case, in which a suspect brought his five-year-old son with him to what he thought was a liaison with a juvenile, was the subject of several questions.
“That was the one that probably rattled us more than anything,” said Hansen. He told the crowd the suspect ended up losing custody of his child.
Other questions touched on the mechanics of the show, such as Hansen’s safety during filming.
“A lot goes into security,” he said. “For what we’re doing, I think we’re as safe as we can be.”
The question of the investigation’s legality came up, too, when a person asked if “To Catch a Predator” has been found to have entrapped any of the suspects. Hansen credited team members at organization Perverted Justice for avoiding that possible pitfall.
“Because the decoy never makes the first move, it’s never been raised in an cases I’m aware of, and I’d know pretty quickly,” he said.
One of the more unique questions came from a man in the back of the room, who asked about the role “To Catch a Predator” has played in expanding the possibilities of investigative journalism. Hansen said the future is bright for this type of journlism.
“There are so many areas we can use these enterprising tactics to explore,” he said.
I asked Hansen about this during a follow-up conversation. He said NBC is getting ready to launch a web site featuring his team’s investigations - including “To Catch a Predator,” which he said may expand with new episodes - and including web-specific stories done in the same investigative manner.
“I’m really excited about that,” he said. “It’ll just be another opportunity to reach people with our stories.”
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