Wrongful Convictions, Killers, and Cold Cases: An Analysis of Crime Podcasts

• In Event: Poster Session I

Abstract

People have always been fascinated with crime stories. From literature and film to the countless number of fictional and non-fictional crime-related television programs, people have long been entertained by trying to figure out “whodunit” and why. Within the ever-changing modern media landscape a new form of crime storytelling has emerged—the crime podcast. Both fictional and non-fictional versions of this genre exist, but this study is only concerned with the latter. Since the airing of the first season of Serial in 2014, many different podcasts about crime have been produced. Some seek to challenge the legitimacy of previous convictions and others re-open cold cases. There is even a podcast titled My Favorite Murder, a true crime comedy podcast. It is apparent that people have an appetite for this non-visual form of crime stories, but what messages are these podcasts sending to listeners about crime and justice? What role do they potentially play in people’s perceptions of the justice system? The purpose of this study is to examine the prevalence, popularity, and content of this new form of storytelling.

Author

• Dawn K Cecil, University of South Florida St. Petersburg