True crime fans know this feeling: whether you’re coming home from work, doing laundry, or getting ready for bed, once you turn on your favorite podcast, you’re immersed in a world of criminal investigation and human psychology. Get immersed in a captivating story.
True crime stories show the incredible resilience of survivors and the satisfaction of getting justice. They have the power to generate incredible public interest in criminal cases that unites people around the world. But they also depict horrifying details of humanity at its worst.
Although it seems like the genre is just now exploding in popularity across all types of media, it’s actually had an enduring fan base for centuries, Kelly Boling, PhD, told Fox News Digital during a phone call. Boling is an assistant professor at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Journalism and Mass Communications who conducts research true crime podcast And their audience.
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Podcast database website Podcaster, which aims to aggregate podcast information from a variety of platforms, has over 23,000 podcasts in its true crime category.
A Pew Research Center study found that true crime is the most common topic among top-ranked podcasts, and 34% of American adults who listened to podcasts in the past year say they regularly listen to podcasts about true crime.
According to the Pew Research Center, among American podcast listeners, women are almost twice as likely as men to regularly listen to true crime podcasts (44% of female podcast listeners vs. 23% of male podcast listeners). (Jonas Walzberg/Image Alliance via Getty Images)
Although the true crime genre may not be new, it has become more popular over time. People love learning about criminology, psychology, and the American justice system.
“The Fox True Crime Podcast w/Emily Compagno,” for example, has 4.7 stars on Apple Podcasts, and Compagno has 444K followers on Instagram.
Compagno has been praised For the depth of his reporting, his sensitivity and his ability to make complex topics easily understandable. Bolling suggested that the education aspect of true crime has great potential for bringing about positive change.
He has covered cases including the Boston Marathon bombing, the killing of four college students in Idaho, holly dunn And how she survived the Railroad Killer and much more.
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Bolling cited cases of the podcast becoming so popular that fans waited outside the courtroom while the hearing was going on inside the courthouse, and even the location of the trial had to be changed due to the lack of access to local coverage.
murder of hae min lee
The first season of the podcast “Serial” focused on the 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee, for which her boyfriend Adnan Masood Syed He was convicted and jailed before the case was brought to the Supreme Court in a series of appeals.
“His fans in the courts of Baltimore and the US Supreme Court were advocating for his release. Not only that…he was released and there was a job waiting for him at a local college. So about Adnan People’s perception was completely changed by the podcast,” Bolling said.
Syed worked as a program associate at Georgetown University’s Prison and Justice Initiative.
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“Serial” turned the true crime genre on its head as it was the first major true crime publication to focus on the alleged perpetrator rather than the victim, whose family the host would not speak to.
Bolling said, “(The host) literally centered the voice of the accused. Her voice was centered through her phone interviews in every episode of the podcast.”
In fact, after listening to “Serial” the audience was convinced that Syed was innocent and now Syed has a huge base of people advocating on his behalf. Charges against Syed were dropped, but then reinstated due to procedural violations.
murder of cooper harris
Season two of the “Breakdown” podcast by the Atlanta Journal Constitution covers the story of Justin Ross Harris, who was prosecuted for the murder of his infant son, Cooper, after he was left in a hot car for hours.
Harris says it was an accident, and his wife testified on his behalf even after the fact was publicized in “Breakdown” that Ross was cheating on her with a 16-year-old girl.
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“So when he comes forward, we all hate him now, okay? That doesn’t make him a murderer… The judge in that trial, Judge Mary Staley, actually changed venue because of the pre-trial coverage. “which had already happened, and because she knew the Atlanta Journal Constitution would cover it as a live podcast,” Bolling told Fox News Digital.
Crime scene investigators collect evidence after a man was shot by police near Northwest Seventh Court and 57th Street in Miami on March 7, 2024. (Al Diaz/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Ultimately, Harris’s conviction was overturned in a ruling that her affair, which was presented as motivation for her son’s murder, had an undue prejudicial effect on the jury.
“Did it change our opinion of that father? Absolutely… Did it change the opinion of the defense, the prosecution? Maybe. But yes, podcasts are a very powerful way to influence (these cases). And I think a lot of it has to do with the audio part of media,” Bolling said.
Bolling emphasized the unique status of true crime as a media that is assumed to be true by definition, but is framed as a narrative.
He said, “Well, we’ve been sitting around campfires telling stories for centuries, right? We get involved in the story and get emotionally involved in a way we can’t do watching a documentary. “
“We feel like we have a relationship with the hosts. We feel like we know the defendant well enough to go to the courthouse, take a day off and put a sign outside for them. “
access to true Crime The creators’ approach to their fans is also unique among media and, especially when a case is being reported, it inevitably inspires some fans to do their own investigation without being bound by any standards.
Fans get the chance to interact with each other and with true crime creators on Internet forums, but amateur detectives have, in the past, made public the personal information of people involved in ongoing cases and even deceased. Have also turned against the family members.
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This sense of involvement in following a case step by step is enhanced by the medium itself. Podcast listening is an intimate form of media consumption; If you’re wearing headphones, it’s just you and the host talking directly into your ears.
And when a detailed picture of a perpetrator or victim is painted, it’s easy to see why listeners become personally invested in the outcomes of the cases they’ve been following closely for so long.
Bolling reported that “Serial” was the first major true crime publication to focus on the alleged perpetrator rather than the victim, whose family declined to be interviewed.
Bolling said, “So then ethically, the question becomes, should he still cover the story? He did… and it completely changed the genre, and I think, unfortunately , it opened the door to many less-ethical productions.”
Journalists and lawyers who create true crime podcasts have ethical codes to follow, but there is no accepted genre-wide ethical standard.
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New episodes of “The Fox True Crime Podcast w/Emily Compagno” are released every Tuesday, with bonus episodes every Thursday. (Peter Byrne/PA Images via Getty Images)
Bolling discussed the “celebration” of famous murderers such as Jeffrey Dahmer in Netflix’s dramatization of their crimes. She says producers of various true crime projects she has spoken to in her research suggest focusing on the “why” when choosing to cover a case.
“Why are you making this? Why is it important to tell this story? I think that’s where the ethical conversation starts. Do we need another documentary on Dahmer? We don’t. That story has been played out a million times. It’s gone, Bolling told Fox News Digital.
Bolling expressed concern over the implications of turning criminals into celebrities and the impact it would have on victims’ families. He emphasized that production companies can make whatever they want, but suggested that the bright side of true crime is its educational potential.
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“What are people going to learn from this? What are we going to stop? Who are we going to educate? What kind of legislation are we going to put forward?”
Bolling’s upcoming research sets out to examine the state of ethics in true crime podcasting and suggest a set of guidelines.
This is uncharted territory, but in a world where Evan Peters won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Jeffrey Dahmer and where there’s a thriving market for serial killer properties, he’s bound to carefully consider the inspirations for creating any piece. Returned to the thought. Of true crime media,
“How can we work toward the good part of true crime, which is education and healing and finding an outlet for friends and family members? Only good can come from this.”
