A good story is an even better assignment if it is reported from a foreign land. One does not have to worry as much about the line between fact and fiction, and it is a perk to be able to travel far.
Western media covering Western sex tourists in Southeast Asian countries like Thailand and Cambodia sometimes create exaggerated impressions of sex trafficking. They may report as if there were widespread abductions and victims, including children, being locked up in captivity. While such specific scenarios are often sensationalized by the media, the underlying reality of coercion and human trafficking in the region is well-documented and not fiction.
To further dramatize their coverage, Western media reports sometimes exaggerate not just child prostitution, but especially the extent to which Western tourists are involved. Cases involving females below the age of 18 do not generate as much interest if they happen in the Hindu Kush among locals. This is because a rule for good stories is that they must somehow relate to home audiences.
Here is just one example of this kind of story:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4038249/
Western journalists often choose to do undercover research into child prostitution in Phnom Penh rather than in Miami, not only because of the perks of traveling to an exotic land, but also because of the potential to dramatize a story. There is another reason, which they share with child rights campaigners and some members of the clergy.
It is, by and large, a low-risk venture. It is cheap heroism.
Historically, Southeast Asia has not always had the same highly visible link between prostitution and heavily armed organized crime that is typical in parts of the Western Hemisphere.
The references made to "syndicates" in some Western reports on the sex trade in Southeast Asia can be misleading. A woman talking a village girl into becoming a hostess, and a massage parlor owner who later employs her, do not necessarily constitute a syndicate, even if their conduct is illegal and regular.
Colombian drug cartels and mafias with strict hierarchies are syndicates. They have enforcement units (hitmen) and professional equipment (especially firearms). While such highly armed structures are less commonly associated with prostitution in Southeast Asia, organized criminal networks and trafficking rings do exist in the region. Furthermore, while some sex work is independent, international organizations document that a significant portion involves coercion, debt bondage, and trafficking, rather than being entirely voluntary. Highly armed syndicates like those in Latin America may be less common, but they are not nonexistent.
Undercover research into child prostitution in Southeast Asia and its customers can be an attractive topic for journalists and some clergy who want to be seen as heroes. The risks for the researchers are almost nil. Sex tourists are generally non-violent, and local facilitators are often less heavily armed than organized crime figures in other regions. However, it is inaccurate to claim that all facilitators are women without bodyguards or weapons; their demographics and security measures vary.
A U.S. TV station, instead of deploying a team to Cambodia, could make a real difference at home, where it has much more leverage over politicians and law enforcement agencies, or in a neighboring country in the Americas. So, why not conduct courageous undercover reporting on child prostitution in Miami or Mexico?
It rarely happens because it is extremely dangerous. Traffickers in Miami and Mexico are often more suspicious of undercover journalists; they are frequently armed and have a track record of extreme violence against intruders. Victims of these cartels can face severe brutality. While a TV station may buy existing footage offered by freelancers, few responsible U.S. TV editors will assign a camera team and reporter to infiltrate a gang undercover in Miami or Mexico. If their staff were to get hurt, the TV station could face severe legal liability and compensation claims for the victims' families.
Covering Western sex tourists in Southeast Asia remains an attractive story and a low-risk endeavor for journalists.