‘It doesn’t feel right to say how much I enjoyed this’: Listener perspectives on ethics in true crime podcasts

Abstract

This research seeks a clearer understanding of listener perspectives on issues of ethics in true crime podcasts (TCPs). To do so, the study first divides TCPs into three subgenres: Documentary, Recap and Expert. Then, it uses a mixed methods content analysis of listener reviews (n = 1200) of TCPs to ascertain listeners’ value systems and preferences when assessing podcasts, the role of ethics in audience evaluations of TCPs and the impact of subgenre on listener response. It finds that a large subsection of the reviewer audience (29.7 per cent) privileged ethics as a key criterion for evaluating and reviewing podcasts and that listeners’ level of engagement with issues of ethics is specific, careful and nuanced. It also finds that subgenre can play a role in shaping engagement with content, with Documentary and Recap formats more likely to result in listeners relating to content as entertainment.