Top 10 Dark Truths About True Crime Media

It’s not unusual for people to visit historical sites to learn more about notable past events. One example is Salem, Massachusetts, where many visit to see the location of the witch trials. Some tours, however, take visitors to former homes of criminals and actual murder sites. These “attractions” are regularly met with backlash and disgust from the families of victims and others affected by the tragedies. In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for instance, visitors can go on tours to see places associated with serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer – from the bars where he found his victims to the location where his apartment once stood. Meanwhile, locals are reminded of a painful time close to home.

True crime documentaries don’t always get the facts straight, whether it’s due to dramatization, time constraints, or a lack of fact-checking. Creators of these programs often take creative license, adding or removing details to make the material more entertaining. Hulu’s “Under the Banner of Heaven”, for example, took some liberties with the 1984 murders of Brenda and Erica Lafferty, sparking backlash from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). The show’s historical inaccuracies of Mormonism frame the religion in a negative light. Additionally, the way real people are portrayed is cause for concern. Brenda’s sister criticized the fictionalized version of Brenda, who came off as almost extremist in her LDS views.

Public fascination with true crime is nothing new but with the increasing popularity of podcasts, social media, and streaming, the genre has become a cultural phenomenon. There are a number of reasons why people consume true crime media – from insight about danger to learning survival skills, or just curiosity about the human mind. But, consuming these stories in large amounts, especially binge-watching, can impact one’s psychological health and overall well-being. Mental health professionals say that it can leave viewers feeling unsafe in their everyday life, leading to anxiety, depression, and paranoia. Putting the body through a certain level of stress can have physical side effects as well, including issues with cardiovascular health. So, remember to balance your intake of true crime stories with lighter media, friends.

True crime fans sometimes believe their familiarity with the genre means they have the knowledge and investigative skills to solve real crimes. And, while there are some examples of citizen involvement benefiting an investigation, armchair detectives usually do more harm than good. These people share their theories on social media and even sometimes go as far as making false accusations against innocent individuals which can do a lot to hinder an investigation, including damaging reputations and acting as a distraction. In 2023, a TikToker who claims to have psychic abilities told her followers that University of Idaho professor Rebecca Scofield was involved in the local murders of four students. Scofield filed a lawsuit but, since the perpetuation of the baseless rumors, she’s been harassed online and in person.

Unlike dramatizations, documentaries are expected to present an objective point of view. But, sometimes, content is framed by personal bias of the creators, or only tells a single side of a story. Filmmakers Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos were accused of doing both in 2015’s “Making a Murderer.” The well-known Netflix docuseries centered on Steven Avery’s past wrongful conviction and eventual exoneration. He and his nephew would later be associated with the murder of Teresa Halbach, a case the documentary also followed. However, journalists, legal experts, Halbach’s family, and viewers called out the series for purposely omitting facts, ultimately presenting Avery’s one-sided version of events. Ricciardi and Demos denied any bias in their work, pointing to the limited runtime as the reason for excluding information.

In recent years, the true crime genre has been criticized for focusing too much on the criminals instead of their victims. This is especially true when it comes to serial killers. For decades, people have idolized killers like John Wayne Gacy and Charles Manson through murderabilia, putting their faces on t-shirts and mugs, and even buying their artwork. Although it can be unintentional, creators sometimes present their serial-killing protagonist in a way that can attract rather than disgust viewers. The oft-controversial Ryan Murphy featured a fictionalized take on young Richard Ramirez, aka “the Night Stalker” in “American Horror Story: 1984”. A handsome actor was casted to play the notorious killer, consequently making the character desirable to some.

The main motivator for some true crime creators is bringing awareness to cases of injustice and unsolved crimes, and giving victims a platform to tell their stories. However, it’s important to note that many true crime programs are, at their core, about entertainment. In the age of social media, real-life tragedies and victims are easily exploited. YouTubers and TikTokers will retell these gruesome stories while doing makeup tutorial videos that, whether intentional or not, have the effect of making light of these stories and treating them without the sensitivity they necessitate. In the case of the short-lived podcast “Popcorn Murder Stories”, after some particularly poor reporting where the hosts joked about a crime, passed a great deal of unwarranted judgement, and got facts wrong, the podcast found its end.

For many in the true crime media business, it’s all about ratings and views; so, when presented with an opportunity to increase popularity, they’ll take it. With real stories, audiences usually already know how it will end. That’s why, in order to create suspense, a plethora of different filmmaking elements and storytelling tactics will be used. Unfortunately, some creators lose sight of ethics. The integrity of the documentarians behind HBO’s 2015 docuseries “The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst” were called into question after it was revealed they held onto an alleged confession until the docuseries’ finale. The moment certainly made for an explosive final episode but the filmmakers received backlash for appearing to value entertainment more than doing the right thing.

One of the most glaring problems with true crime media is the fact that creatives aren’t legally required to ask or even inform someone about their being the subject of a project. Since most criminal cases are public record, permission isn’t needed to acquire any rights to a story. What usually follows, then, is a victim or a victim’s family stumbling upon a documentary or podcast broadcasting the grisly details of the tragedy they experienced, and having to relive their trauma. Jordan Preston spoke out against Hulu’s “Dead Asleep”, a docuseries questioning the guilt of the person who murdered her sister. Netflix’s “Dahmer” also stirred up endless controversy in 2022 for a variety of reasons, including that the victims’ families were purportedly not made aware of the series.

As we’ve discussed, the victims at the center of true crime content are rarely the focus. Many will dig into the psychology of the killers and their shocking behavior. For most content creators of true crime, the possible success of a new film, series, podcast, or book takes precedence over respecting the wishes of victims and their loved ones. Mariah Day cooperated with NBC for “The Thing About Pam” which told the story of her mother Betsy Faria’s murder. When she watched the series, however, she saw that dark humor was used to up entertainment value. Faria was lost in all the comedy and the show became more about the titular convicted murderer than the life that was lost.