Lara Glennon is an aspiring screenwriter looking to share her love and passion for all things film and television. She aims to use her writing to shine a light on artists who are working to make change, both in media and in the world. The Hollywood Insider’s focus on substance over gossip is perfect for Lara, as she wants to highlight the good in the world and those who create it. She enjoys spending her time creating and consuming art, searching for unique voices and ideas in media.
Sep 12, 2024
Podcasts, documentaries, YouTube content, and more mediums have taken a liking to the true crime genre. The genre can span from solved to unsolved crimes, cases, and unexplained phenomena, as content creators as well as viewers, listeners, and other consumers dig into the nitty gritty, analyzing crimes (mainly murders) and giving their two cents.
The fascination with true crime is unsurprising, given just about everything we know about human nature, but is it ethical? The answer is complicated and up for debate.
There isn’t one reason that so many people have gravitated toward true crime, but if I had to make one guess, I’d assume that many people’s interest was sparked by fiction. Putting the “true” on hold, crime
shows have been a popular genre for ages. For many young people who find themselves interested in true crime, they may have been fans of ‘Criminal Minds’ or another similar procedural. The storylines in these series are interesting, so people look go looking for more.
There’s also the matter of natural human morbid curiosity. We can’t keep our eyes off a car wreck as we drive by, we can’t keep ourselves from reading gruesome accounts of crimes. They’re fascinating stories of real events, real people, real tragedies. Humans are curious creatures, which translates to humans being nosy creatures. On paper, it makes perfect sense why we’d want to know the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Victimless Crimes, Tragedies, and a Wide, Wide Spectrum
The whole concept of crime is very complicated. When people think of true crime media, the unfortunate truth is that their minds typically go straight to murder. Be it a serial killer, a crime of passion, or an elaborate cover- up, the stories that get the most attention usually are usually the ones that involve lost lives. Some may disagree that true crime centers around death;, and instead immerse themselves in political scandals, fraud cases, heists, or the ins and outs of trials, but the vast majority of media that brands itself as ‘true crime’ shows the opposite.
You can take one look at the Google results for true crime cases and see the proof. Serial killers, unidentified victims, and high- profile murders swarm the search results. The kicker? These results are all lists of the “most popular” true crime cases. These semantics do not sit well with me. Should a murder be popular? Famous? Where is all this media attention headed? The sad truth is that when people discover find out about a new case and dive in head first, creating and consuming podcasts, YouTube videos, and other explorations into the case, the families of the victims are the ones dealing with the aftermath.
Tragedy + Time
There’s a classic saying that tragedy + time = comedy, but these types of tragedies are a whole different beast. A new story for a true crime podcast is a new personal tragedy for victims’ loved ones. Creators may look at a devastating event as a chance for new content instead of seeing it for what it really is. If a case is getting “popular,”, that attention has to be funneled somewhere. Even if a case is solved and justice is served, the events aren’t up for grabs for guilt- free media creation. There are There’s real people behind these names.
Now, when time has passed, a different conversation is to be had. Personally, I don’t have many hang- ups with digging into cases such as Jack the Ripper, one of the most famous serial killers, coming from nineteenth- century London. It’s been hundreds of years, time has passed, and nobody involved is around to get swarmed with people experiencing their tragedy as entertainment.
Solved, Unsolved, and Everything in Between
Old, healed wounds are not the only ones that are easy to stomach. In many cases, crime hits the public eye long before true crime media can tackle it. One of the most obvious examples is when a US President is facing a trial. From Watergate to the Clinton impeachment to the ongoing Trump Administration legal battles, any and all legal battles that presidents must fight are subject to the public eye. And I’m alright with that;, as the President you are welcoming a level of public input in each and every decision, you’re sworn into office to be truthful and to uphold the duties of public office, if you violate this, the public should know.
However, presidential trials are not the only ones gaining media attention. The most recent trial to take the media by storm was the Depp/Heard trial, regarding which, due to my own personal values, as well as Hollywood Insiders’, I will not give great detail. The difference here is that neither the defendant nor the plaintiff welcomed swaths of public eyes into their personal legal battles. They had no obligation to uphold public office, government standards, or any other moral or legal reason to welcome public opinion. It seemed that during the trial, the parties involved were dehumanized, and used as entertainment, with viewers ignoring their personal ramifications.
Matters of Black and White
Now, despite my own personal hesitations, I know that true crime isn’t going anywhere. It’s immensely popular, and remains on the up and up, especially for Gen Z. I’m not calling for the elimination of true crime from the public eye, that’s an unreasonable request. I am, however, urging everyone to think a bit more deeply about the media they consume. Even if you disagree with each and every of my positions, all I ask is that you consider who is being impacted by your entertainment. And, if you think things through and decide that you’d like to carry on as normal, be my guest. But let’s not forget the reality of true crime, the ‘true’ portion of the name.
By Lara Glennon
Click here to read The Hollywood Insider’s CEO Pritan Ambroase’s love letter to Cinema, TV and Media. An excerpt from the love letter: The Hollywood Insider’s CEO/editor-in-chief Pritan Ambroase affirms, “We have the space and time for all your stories, no matter who/what/where you are. Media/Cinema/TV have a responsibility to better the world and The Hollywood Insider will continue to do so. Talent, diversity and authenticity matter in Cinema/TV, media and storytelling. In fact, I reckon that we should announce “talent-diversity-authenticity-storytelling-Cinema-Oscars-Academy-Awards” as synonyms of each other. We show respect to talent and stories regardless of their skin color, race, gender, sexuality, religion, nationality, etc., thus allowing authenticity into this system just by something as simple as accepting and showing respect to the human species’ factual diversity. We become greater just by respecting and appreciating talent in all its shapes, sizes, and forms. Award winners, which includes nominees, must be chosen on the greatness of their talent ALONE.
I am sure I am speaking for a multitude of Cinema lovers all over the world when I speak of the following sentiments that this medium of art has blessed me with. Cinema taught me about our world, at times in English and at times through the beautiful one-inch bar of subtitles. I learned from the stories in the global movies that we are all alike across all borders. Remember that one of the best symbols of many great civilizations and their prosperity has been the art they have left behind. This art can be in the form of paintings, sculptures, architecture, writings, inventions, etc. For our modern society, Cinema happens to be one of them. Cinema is more than just a form of entertainment, it is an integral part of society. I love the world uniting, be it for Cinema, TV, media, art, fashion, sport, etc. Please keep this going full speed.”
Lara Glennon is an aspiring screenwriter looking to share her love and passion for all things film and television. She aims to use her writing to shine a light on artists who are working to make change, both in media and in the world. The Hollywood Insider's focus on substance over gossip is perfect for Lara, as she wants to highlight the good in the world and those who create it. She enjoys spending her time creating and consuming art, searching for unique voices and ideas in media.
Lara Glennon is an aspiring screenwriter looking to share her love and passion for all things film and television. She aims to use her writing to shine a light on artists who are working to make change, both in media and in the world. The Hollywood Insider’s focus on substance over gossip is perfect for Lara, as she wants to highlight the good in the world and those who create it. She enjoys spending her time creating and consuming art, searching for unique voices and ideas in media.
Lara Glennon is an aspiring screenwriter looking to share her love and passion for all things film and television. She aims to use her writing to shine a light on artists who are working to make change, both in media and in the world. The Hollywood Insider’s focus on substance over gossip is perfect for Lara, as she wants to highlight the good in the world and those who create it. She enjoys spending her time creating and consuming art, searching for unique voices and ideas in media.
