REALITY TV Missing-kids concept draws ire

KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
Child-protection experts and media watchers are alarmed about an effort by a reality-TV producer to create a CBS show that attempts to find and recover abducted children with a team of former military and former law-enforcement personnel.
The show, "Recovery," is not yet on the CBS fall schedule and comes from Mark Burnett Productions, the company whose big hits are "Survivor" on CBS and "The Apprentice" on NBC. The network distributed preliminary publicity material that describes the program's concept as taking "viewers along on an emotional and life-changing ride, from the abduction to the search in all its intensity to the reunion of child and parents."
Critics contend exploitation
Individuals and organizations that work on behalf of missing children, including the National Center for Missing & amp; Exploited Children, say the show's premise runs contrary to the commonly held principle of relying on legal authorities to handle recovery cases. They also were scathing in their criticism of using such cases for any entertainment purpose.
"The idea for Mark Burnett's new reality show of snatching children sickens me," said Lindsey Brooks, investigating manager for Child Quest International in Campbell, Calif.
"These children he plans to recover have already been extremely emotionally damaged by being abducted. Now Burnett wants to exploit them by being on a TV show."
CBS declined through a publicist to provide more details, respond to critics or discuss its timetable for making a decision about the show. Messages left on an answering machine at Burnett's company were not returned.
The leader of the show's recovery personnel is Bazzel Baz, described as a former Marine and former CIA operative with expertise in finding and returning children. He declined to speak on the record when reached by the San Jose Mercury News.
A team effort?
Rick Smith, a former longtime FBI agent, said he thought using a private team to recover children was "a terrible idea," but that he could see it working "if it was in conjunction with law enforcement and law enforcement had the lead role."
Smith, who runs Cannon Street Investigations in San Francisco, said he could envision a variety of legal problems, but that his first reaction was distrust of the producers' motives.