True Crime Podcasting as Journalistic Heterodoxy: Boundary Practices and Journalistic Epistemology of a Heretic Interloper

Abstract

Non-fictional true crime reporting has enjoyed a somewhat deviant position within the journalistic field and has been rejected as sensationalist and not considered “good” journalism by journalistic discourse. Relative to other peripheral forms of journalism, podcasting has received comparatively less attention even as the medium is considered the fastest growing. Through the lens of boundary work, this study investigates six US true crime podcasts to explore their epistemic practices and how they approach ethical dilemmas in reporting. This study argues that podcasts display a largely subjective approach to truthmaking, embracing the entertaining power of stories to create change. Most podcast series studied employ longstanding sourcing and reporting practices to legitimize their position within the journalistic field, reflecting the transferable values of journalism to new forms of reporting.