True Crime Podcasts: Analyzing Ethical Principles, Advocacy, and Sensationalism

Abstract

The ethics of true crime podcasts are questionable. They appear to promote social justice but may utilize media tactics that could be exploitative and sensationalist. True crime podcasts bear ethical responsibility to promote social justice and advocacy, as they profit off real stories of murder, kidnapping, and crime. Without a social justice orientation, these podcasts may become unethical, sensationalist media forms. An audiology assessment of three popular true crime podcasts—Mile Higher, My Favorite Murder, and Morbid—reveals the thematic dialogue and rates of incidence within each podcast. Frequencies and sample dialogue from the podcasts reveal core values of the podcast and the degree of ethical responsibility upheld.