Reality television often blurs the line between fact and fiction.

Normally, this only results in mindless entertainment.

The shows create a shot at publicity for some of their “stars,” said Dave Jezek, junior electrical engineering major.

However, when vigilante witch-hunting comes at the expense of legitimate legal processes, as in a misfire by NBC’s “To Catch a Predator,” the results are downright dangerous.

Dateline NBC’s “To Catch a Predator” sounds like a good idea. The show’s premise is that local law enforcement of various towns work with Dateline’s Chris Hansen and the activist group Perverted Justice to catch would-be Internet pedophiles before any true harm is done.

Using decoys, the show would engage in online conversation with the potential predators, eventually luring them to a house where, instead of a 13-year-old boy, Hansen would be waiting to interrogate the suspects.

The process was effective. More than 100 suspects have been convicted since the show began.

Then, “To Catch a Predator” went to Murphy, Texas, in November 2006, and caused a fiasco. A man caught in that sting committed suicide just before Hansen and his crew could arrive to question him.

The other 24 cases were thrown out by John Roach, Collin County district attorney.

Roach said he was unable to prosecute the Murphy cases, saying several were outside his jurisdiction and others had problems with chat logs produced by Perverted Justice decoys. The logs – ideally the smoking gun in each case – couldn’t be certified by NBC or police as complete, Roach said, and therefore couldn’t be considered as evidence.

This never should have happened.

This is, perhaps, an extreme example of “reality” television gone wrong. Most reality shows don’t end this frustratingly – or tragically.

However, the Murphy case exemplifies the fact that reality television often has no grounds in actual reality.

The embarrassing interaction between the men and Chris Hansen makes for interesting amusement. However, Texas law says it is a second-degree felony to even engage in sexual communications with a minor, regardless of if any physical contact takes place.

The case should have been clear – and closed before the men walked through the door.

This misrepresentation of the legal system turns a serious, life-threatening subject into prime-time TV, and gives viewers the wrong idea of the legal system.

“To Catch a Predator” and similar shows need to be billed for what they are – entertainment-only. Otherwise, they’re misleading.

“Even though it’s ‘reality’ TV, you never know if it’s scripted or not,” said Natalia Bulsza, sophomore finance major.

Instead, by presenting flash, drama and slick production to viewers under the guise of “reality,” the facts are ignored – in some cases, seriously so.