Kärmas rules out US-style predator show in Estonia

Estonian journalist Mihkel Kärmas says a television show in the style of the US series To Catch a Predator could not be made in Estonia because it would conflict with the country’s legal and ethical framework, ERR reported.

Kärmas, a journalist with Pealtnägija, discussed the format on ERR television programme Ringvaade after watching Lance Oppenheim’s feature film Hiilgeaeg, which stars Robert Pattinson. The film is based on real events and centres on To Catch a Predator, a controversial NBC programme that aired from 2004 to 2007. Kärmas said he understood why the film had caused controversy but questioned whether it would be a big hit in Estonia.

On the programme, activists posed online as minors and arranged meetings with men suspected of seeking sexual contact with children. Hidden cameras recorded the encounters, and host Chris Hansen would appear after the men arrived, read out sexual messages from their online conversations and reveal that they were on television.

Kärmas said the format was psychologically compelling and novel at the time, but also polarising. In his view, its entertainment-driven and punitive tone made it controversial, not simply its use of hidden cameras or luring suspects to a meeting.

A central event in the film is based on a 2006 operation in Texas, in which the show sought to catch a senior official who had allegedly communicated with someone posing as a minor. The man died by suicide. The programme was not cancelled immediately, but NBC later ended its relationship with Hansen. A legal case followed and ended in a settlement.

Kärmas said the case raised questions about the ethical limits of journalism. He also pointed to the show’s relationship with police: the crew filmed for some time after a suspect arrived, before police intervened. He said he could not imagine Estonian police holding back during a live operation so journalists could finish filming.