True Crime

Background

Now one of the most popular genres, true crime refers to factual narrative retellings of criminal cases pulled from real-life. The style of storytelling has a rich history, stretching back to at least the medieval era.

Before the average person could read, these retellings typically took the form of narrative songs or ballads. Though these tales may have been entertaining to some, their goal was to convey moral lessons (while sharing grim and grisly details that captivated readers).

Rising literacy rates and print technologies saw these songs slide onto broadsides or penny dreadfuls that featured wood engravings of crime or execution scenes—sometimes sensationalized. It was between the cheaply made pages of the latter product that the demon barber of Fleet Street made their first known appearance in print media.

Modern Era

The genre's modern era is typically traced to the 1966 publication of "In Cold Blood," a nonfiction narrative novel by American writer Truman Capote that details the 1959 murder of a family in America's heartland. Stepping away from stereotypical journalistic objectivity, the novel made the retelling and consumption of such morbid tales an acceptable pastime. 

The arc of true crime media turned audible after the success of the podcast "Serial." Launched in 2014, the podcast detailed the investigation into the 1999 Baltimore slaying of Hae Min Lee. The series quickly set a new standard for audio storytelling and ultimately exposed problems within the justice system that resulted in a vacated conviction of the person charged with the crime.

"Serial" paved the way for true crime storytelling and investigation (or reinvestigation) via podcast and is at least partially responsible for true crime being the most popular podcast genre in the US.

Ethics and Impact

Outside of its ability to influence criminal proceedings or lack thereof, true crime crawls into the painful crevices carved into the lives of those who remain: survivors and victims' friends and families. 

When Collier Landry "became a media sensation as the star witness" in his father's murder trial, he lost much more than his slain mother. He lost his adoptive sister, his dog, and his extended family, many of whom rejected him for testifying against his father or for being the son of a convicted killer.

Annie Nichol's sister was killed in the 1990s. Decades later, she continues to be surrounded by details of her sister's slaying. She says the dramatization of the crime as found in the folds of sensational retellings serves to retraumatize survivors and bias the justice system toward punishment. 

Just outside the bounds of this intimate club to which no one wants to belong are those lambasted by baseless accusations by online sleuths. Such (sometimes monetizable) behavior is typically pulled together by trawling new reports, online forums, and social media sites. 

While the question of how one can ethically cover and consume true crime is an ongoing and evolving discussion, as evidenced by the changing journalistic standard for mug shots, true crime's influence as a genre is less debatable.