True Crime As Entertainment?

I read an article in the British press this week examining and criticising the rise of the “true crime as entertainment” podcast phenomenon. I think there is some validity in the criticism, but also a level of ignorance. Those of us who treat the subject as work, even if we are armchair amateurs, always try to keep in mind our motives and the tone of what we publish.

When you set yourself up as a “professional amateur” in this field, which is essentially claiming to bring a professional approach to unpaid work, with the aim of genuinely furthering an investigation or two, you set…