I love this show. The perverts seem to line up to get caught. Hammering perverts like these should be a national sport.
I agree.
I just read a book Chris Hansen wrote about the show. (We don't have TV reception, so I've never seen it.) He said that some of the men say they've watched the show, but they walk right in, even though there are sometimes law enforcement vehicles on the street.
He also discussed in detail the producers' arrangement with the "Perverted Justice" group, and with law enforcement agencies. I don't see any attempt at deceiving the general public regarding what's going on. Obviously, they're deceiving child-sex fanciers, but so are law enforcement officials when there's no TV show involved.
Honestly, I find it hard to believe that anyone could say "journalistic ethics" with a straight face, no matter what the context.