Through books, television, movies and podcasts, true crime has undoubtedly seeped its way into popular culture. But even though the genre has had a recent explosion in popularity over the past few years, it’s nothing new. To a certain extent, true crime has existed just as long as crime itself. Because at its core, true crime is just the reporting of facts in a case.  

I think it’s fair to say that consuming true crime media comes with some level of ethical baggage. It’s a genre that often sensationalizes, disrespects and even profits off of the cases it covers. So, is it really okay to consume this type of media? I don’t think the answer is a straightforward one, or one that comes without caveats, but there are reasons people keep coming back to true crime as a genre.  

People are drawn to extremes, and violence is a manifestation of the extreme. That’s the reason the phrase “if it bleeds it leads” rings so true in media. If something horrible, like an explosion or murder, happens, a lot of people are going to want to know more about what occurred.  

Humans have a certain level of morbid curiosity, and that’s one of the reasons true crime exists. Even if our culture does want to look away, we can’t because we’re so fascinated by what horrifies us. 

Eventually, however, you have to consider the reality that the cases being described in true crime media aren’t just stories; they’re people’s lived experiences. It needs to be recognized that these are real people with real lives, and that the stories being told are often about the worst things that ever happened to them. After all, you can’t have true crime media without crimes, and you can’t have crimes without victims. 

When you recognize the humanity behind these stories, consumption of true crime content becomes much more complicated. The crime has happened. Maybe it went to trial, maybe it didn’t. Maybe the victim got some semblance of justice, maybe they didn’t. Where does this leave those consuming the true crime content? They can become often unwelcome observers, watching past events play out in an easily consumable, packaged form of entertainment.  

Whereas viewers can stop reading or turn off their tv, the people who these crimes actually affect will have to deal it for the rest of their lives. There is no turning off the “content” for survivors. 

It’s at this point that money comes in. Whether it’s through book deals, ticket sales or merchandise, money is often being made in true crime. Take the popular podcast My Favorite Murder for example, which in 2019 alone made $15 million. Of course, there’s lots of creativity involved in being a storyteller, I’m not trying to discount that, but it is a bit gut-wrenching that people can essentially get rich off of murder. 

This isn’t to say that true crime can never be a positive force. In fact, it’s even led to crimes being solved. Many people credit Michelle McNamara’s true crime novel I’ll Be Gone in the Dark with reigniting the search that would eventually find Joseph DeAngelo, who McNamara named the golden state killer. And without a 1989 episode of America’s Most Wanted on family annihilator John List, the killer likely never would have been found and brought to justice. 

But beyond helping solve old cases, true crime can do things like offer survivors a place to speak out. Many true crime documentaries feature interviews with survivors who willingly share their experiences. This is done for many different personal reasons, like informing the public or trying to prevent future crimes. As viewers, hearing these accounts forces us the reckon with what humans are capable of, and what that means for ourselves and our society.   

I think one of the biggest benefits of true crime media is that it can expose the flaws within our police and judicial systems. Something as simple as sharing the truth about a case can start conversations that force societal change. Whether it’s the story of someone wrongfully accused, incompetent police forces, biased court systems, or families just looking for answers in a cold case, true crime brings these stories to the forefront of culture in a way that can do a lot of good.   

At the end of the day, we need to be mindful of what content we’re engaging with as consumers, because true crime is a genre with so many facets to it. But I think that when founded on principles of empathy and respect, true crime can bring positive benefits.