A couple of weeks ago at the time of writing, controversy within the true crime world stemmed from a creator allowing their patrons to essentially purchase autopsy photos from the heartbreaking case of 11 year old Gannon Stauch. This was obviously an abhorrent state of affairs, and raised concerns about ethics and true crime content.
I am someone that admittedly consumes a lot of true crime content. From true crime YouTubers and podcasts, to the next up and coming documentary on Netflix, I am always ready and waiting for the next release. I actually posted on my previous blog (it’s sadly not available anymore) about why people have this fascination of true crime but as time goes on, I’ve become more and more interested and concerned about the ethics of true crime media. It is clear to see with recent events like the controversy mentioned above that more needs to be done to ensure that ethics in true crime content is at an acceptable standard.
But why does this matter? Why should we care about the ethics of true crime media? These questions will also be answered in today’s blog post, so let’s get to it.
A Brief History of True Crime
This recent uprise in popularity of true crime media is not a new phenomenon. It could be argued that the world was a lot more violent back in the past. For example, in medieval England, historians estimate that the murder rate is 10 times what it is today. When I first read that. I instantly thought that was a false statement. However, we have to remember that the media continuously reports various true crime events. So it seems like there’s more nowadays but in actual fact, there’s not.
In addition, people have always had a sort of morbid obsession with true crime. It’s not a new thing at all. After all, think how popular public executions were back then. Thousands and thousands of people would gather around public hangings, and even beheadings and what not. When the Jack the Ripper case happened in London in the latter 1800s, people were desperate to get newspapers, trying to get the latest information.
So of course, it all links back together. The more people are interested in true crime, the more the media creates content. The more content the media creates, the more people become interested and that is something that has existed for a long time.
Of course, this ethical dilemma concerning true crime has been around since then.
Why Should We Care?
It’s very easy to forget about the ethics concerning true crime media when you’re consuming it in the present. However, it is important to care for a variety of reasons.
Firstly, true crime concerns true events. What we are watching and reading about happened to real people. I think we sometimes forget that the things we are watching and reading are real and have happened to people. Some might say ‘well, they’re not alive anymore so why does it matter?’ Not all of true crime concerns murders and deaths. It can be focused on those that are missing, those that have been kidnapped, corporate issues and more.
And of course, we can’t forget about the families of the victims. It is very easy to jump to conclusions and say something that’s disrespectful or offensive in a public domain that the victims’ families can see. That is why we should care.
The Ethical Problems
Now is the time to go through some of the ethical problems concerning true crime. I’ve touched upon one briefly already and that is real-life crime means there are real-life victims. Creators and consumers of true crime media have a responsibility to the families of the victims. Unfortunately though, true crime media often operates without the consent of people at the centre of tragedies. That’s why I think it’s really important to do research into the true crime media you are consuming. Who created it? Were the victim(s) or their close ones involved in any way? Engaging with what you consume is important and I hope some people do moving forward.
Another ethical concern about true crime content is that it can play into issues of racism, class and mental illness. What I mean by this is there is a tendency for race to be unspoken and unacknowledged by true crime content creators. Furthermore, it is scary that missing white woman syndrome is still prevalent even today. This excludes victims that are minorities and are already disadvantaged.
Another ethical problem concerning true crime content is the real implications it can have. What I mean by this is if content comes out about a case that is ongoing. This is most common with podcasts and YouTube videos focused on true crime content. For example, you might see a video or podcast episode about a case that is currently at trial. There is a sense of risk involved in this area as it could not only result in legal action but also influence public perception which complicates jurisprudence and hinders the defendant’s right to a fair trial. Regardless of whether you think someone is guilty or not guilty during the court process, they have the right to a fair trial.
Some Positives
I think it’s important to share positives about true crime content and the ethics concerning it. Sometimes, we focus too much on the negatives concerning true crime content when there are real positives to come from this area.
Firstly, the rise in popularity of true crime content has helped in reopening cold cases and bringing justice. For example, there are a few true crime YouTubers and Podcasts who will talk about missing persons, Jane/John Doe cases and unsolved cases and it is through these that there ends up being a push for justice and closure. This is done by posting links to petitions, raising money for various causes and simply by spreading the word.
Secondly, the genre of true crime can offer retribution for some victims who may have been portrayed unfairly in the initial media coverage. I’ve noticed with old cold cases particularly that media coverage from then is hard to find, and so new media coverage allows a new lease of life for the victims. This also applies to those who have been falsely accused and condemned.
Of course, there are many more ethical dilemmas and positives that can be focused on in true crime content. I have focused on a few and I would encourage you to conduct more research if this interests you.
I hope this post was interesting for you. Thank you very much for reading and I will see you soon for another blog post.
Beth
Beth Olivia 