This incredibly important article written by Sirin Kale, and published in The Guardian last week is really worth your time. It tells the tragic story of John Balson, a producer of true crime television programmes who saw things spiral badly.
I think the article speaks for itself. But it does continue to highlight for me some of the enormous discomfort I have surrounding the genre of true crime. TV networks and streamers are full of documentaries about true crime, while the genre is one of the most popular within podcasting. It seems that every week there’s another documentary telling the tale of some tragedy somewhere, and that can mean a lot of different things: family members interviewed potentially re-opening old wounds; dramatic reconstructions that can be triggering for some.
I know there are good TV series and good podcasts. There are those that tell the story from the victim’s perspective and perhaps highlight something that society doesn’t acknowledge as much as it should, such as domestic abuse. Sometimes family members want to tell their stories because it will help others.
But all too often, some grisly murder feels as though it is being revisited because it’s sensational and audiences love to watch it. Just because audiences love something does not mean that it’s alright. Thousands of people used to visit “Bedlam” (Bethlam Hospital – a psychiatric hospital where “lunatics” were housed). Executions were public events.
Interest of the public is not the same as public interest.