Capitalizing on Crime: Navigating the Ethics of True Crime Entertainment
Summary: This blog post delves into the ethical concerns surrounding the production and consumption of true crime media, drawing attention to its relationship with capitalism, its impact on social narratives and marginalized groups, and the blurred lines it can create between reality and fiction. Considering these societal and individual implications, the aim is to urge readers to critically evaluate their engagement with true crime content.
Capitalizing on Crime: Navigating the Ethics of True Crime Entertainment
In the face of the rapidly flourishing and highly profitable true crime industry, how can we look beyond entertainment and examine the ethics?
While I was watching one of my guilty pleasure shows a few weeks ago, Law and Order SVU, they warned a hesitant informant (who had built a video game based on a crime for which he was previously a suspect) that they would invoke the Son of Sam Law in New York should he not aid them in their investigation. After doing some research, I learned this is a New York law designed to keep criminals from profiting from the publicity of their crimes. Immediately it made me wonder - if profiting off a crime is so reprehensible, what do we have to say for the burgeoning production and consumption of true crime media?
I certainly don't mean to imply that this is a new question or consideration; merely one that people who seek to be ethical consumers should be consciously and continuously considering. Many scholars and lay figures have researched and circulated concerns about true crime's popularity, production, and consumption. One of the primary ethical concerns about true crime revolves around its link to capitalism and consumerism, and the effects that those two motivators have on its ethicality.
Studies show that the highest consumers of true crime are white women (Vicary and Fraley). According to an article from the University of Oregon, hypotheses about this phenomenon revolve around ideas that women watch and read about real violent events because they are usually the primary targets of violence in society. Therefore, the consumption of these stories, documentaries, podcasts, etc. is not only because they are car-crash fascinating as realistic depictions of possible events but may also often become a method of precaution or a coping, safety mechanism in women's own lives (Gray).
However, one must consider the implications of the rising rate of true crime consumption from another, equally if not more important angle. As interest and consumption of true crime rises, so does production and the monetary value of the industry. These creators, then, are themselves capitalizing off of real-life violence and horrible things that happened to real people in real life. Beyond just being insensitive, it becomes not just a safety training or awareness course for women but sensationalizes and brings to the forefront twisted possibilities for the purpose of making money. In this context, one must consider: while true crime can be a means of raising awareness about real threats, what other factors must be taken into consideration? Under the pervasive and structural influence of capitalism and consumerism, how does true crime actually operate?
Considering this line of thought, one must first acknowledge that true crime's profit is often aligned with its audience: white women. Professor Whitney Phillips from the University of Oregon calls it the "ethics of representation" and argues that because white women are the predominant audience for true crime content, many times producers gear the content towards them (Gray). This then has a tangible impact on real life narratives of who is at risk of violent crimes and which crimes are deserving of attention. Not surprisingly, the devastating result of this phenomenon is substantial media attention on missing or hurt white women and less (or none) on cases concerning marginalized groups. One such example is the chilling statistics regarding missing Indigenous women, while our TV screens and other media outlets further fuel the crisis dubbed "Missing White Woman Syndrome," the fascination with covering missing or endangered white women at the expense of coverage of other groups (Gray; Rosner). Similarly, the production of true crime can also distort perceptions of the involved parties, participating in conceptions of 'copaganda,' in which police officers are "inventive, savvy artists stringing together clues, rather than overfunded, inadequate mental health professionals at best, and the violent arm of the state at worst" (Earp).
Another important consideration around consumption ethics as it pertains to the true crime industry is its tagline itself: this idea of "true" and its repercussions. Joseph Earp from the Ethics Centre argues that it's "the ‘based on a true story’ tag that makes true crime distinct... The ‘true’ in ‘true crime’ is part of the sell." But the consumption of true crime is primarily done through mediums like movies, TV shows, documentaries, books, podcasts, etc. These mediums allow consumers to become part of the experience (especially when released in installments). Gray similarly claims that "many enjoy watching a case getting solved while feeling that they’ve participated in it from the comfort of their couch." However, this can cause a blurring of the lines between reality and fiction, leading to real, painful consequences for people who are or were actually involved in the crimes being depicted. Amanda Knox, in an article from NewThinking, describes how people create their own theories and may start accusing or getting involved in the lives of those they are suspecting, also possibly complicating actual investigations. A victim of "true crime" herself, she claims that true crime also "often operates without the consent of the people at the center of these tragedies," which can cause stories, statements, or representations to be included in the media that may not have been obtained or illustrated ethically.
One reality we can know for sure is that true crime is a definite part of our consumer culture today. And it is true that one can consider there to be both new and age-old considerations to this; it's not a twenty-first century development to be fascinated by gory stories. However, with the ramifications of our more modern heightened production and consumer cultures it seems pertinent to enter into these ethical conversations and talk about how we can attempt to navigate this sphere responsibly. So, when considering your own viewership habits (and when I consider my own), I present and implore you to mull over what type of true crime you're consuming, who made it and especially how, what the producers are doing or a part of, and who is at the center of the narrative and why.
References
Barr, Rachel, et al. “My Murder, Your Entertainment.” University of Texas at Austin Center for Media Engagement, 15 May 2023, mediaengagement.org/research/my-murder-your-entertainment/.
Earp, Joseph. “Where Are the Victims? The Ethics of True Crime.” THE ETHICS CENTRE, 9 Feb. 2023, ethics.org.au/where-are-the-victims-the-ethics-of-true-crime/.
Gray, Jillian. “The True Crime Genre Is Popular, but Is It Ethical?” University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication, 28 Aug. 2023, journalism.uoregon.edu/news/true-crime-genre-ethics.
Jack, Lizzie. “What Are the Ethics of Creating Fictionalised True Crime?” UOW, www.uow.edu.au/the-stand/2023/what-are-the-ethics-of-creating-fictionalised-true-crime-.php.
Knox, Amanda. “It May Be Entertaining and Thrilling, but Is True Crime Ever Ethical?” New Thinking, 6 May 2023, www.newthinking.com/culture/it-may-be-entertaining-and-thrilling-but-is-true-crime-ever-ethical.
Rosner, Helen. “The Long American History of ‘Missing White Woman Syndrome.’” The New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2021, www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/the-long-american-history-of-missing-white-woman-syndrome.
Vicary, Amanda M., and R. Chris Fraley. “Captured by true crime: Why are women drawn to tales of rape, murder, and serial killers?” Social Psychological and Personality Science, vol. 1, no. 1, 2010, pp. 81–86, https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550609355486.