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Dateline NBC crosses the line
Posted on February 28, 2008 by Douglas Bell
If the excruciatingly worthy 10-page pullout section in yesterday’s Globe describing in gruesome detail the most uneventful federal budget in human memory (oh, all right, Canadian memory) left you with the uneasy feeling that journalism was less vacuous, vicious and underhanded than you might have thought, then may I recommend a little story on page C6 of yesterday’s New York Times. In it, the writer Alan Feuer describes a $105-million lawsuit pitting the family of a deceased alleged pedophile against NBC.
The alleged pedophile in question, Louis Conradt Jr., was an assistant district attorney in Rockwell County, Texas, who committed suicide just as he was about to be arrested for “trying to solicit a minor on-line.” A camera crew from a Dateline NBC series titled “To Catch a Predator” was waiting outside the house to film the arrest. The judge rejected NBC’s application to dismiss the suit, writing, “If the allegations of the amended complaint are proven, a reasonable jury could find that NBC crossed the line from responsible journalism to irresponsible and reckless intrusion into law enforcement.”
Gee, ya think? The manner in which the popular press deals with sexual aberration is sickening in the extreme, and I’ll be keeping an eye on this case as it goes along.
• Suit Against ‘Predator’ Show Advances [New York Times]
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Casey February 28, 2008 at 8:30 p.m.
I have watched that tv show and became so disgusted that I flipped to something else. The reporter - I forget his name - sometimes comes across as a self - righteous, self - serving, holier - than - thou " individual and while I in no way whatsoever take lightly those actions taken against suspected pedophiles or the actual pedophiles themselves - these men are horrifying - I am left with a lousy taste in my mouth over Dateline's methods. In any case, I prefer to watch Suze Orman or Glen Beck....
leaf February 29, 2008 at 12:36 a.m.
Lawsuit: an American way of making an obscene amount of money for any reason whatsoever. the more irrational the reason, the greater the reward.
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actions speak louder than words.
At the risk of shocking a few hypocrites around here, I applaud Mr. assistant district attorney for his successfull suicide.
Next to his “sexual aberrations”, his concluding gesture was heroic.
And certainly worth 105 MILLION big ones! Ask any (american) lawyer…
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