Member-only story
The Conflict of Being a True Crime “Fan”
First, I should specify that I don’t consider myself a “fan” of true crime. I’m probably more of a “consumer” of true crime. I’m interested in crime, criminal justice, and the psychology behind it all. I am interested in victimization, and I have taken college courses related to crime.
At the same time, the fan clubs associated with true crime, and even writing about it, are conflicting for me. It’s hard to strike the balance between figuring out what’s interesting and newsworthy versus what is appropriate.
One thing I hope to always improve upon is writing about the victims of these crimes, portraying them as the humans they were. Unfortunately, personal information about the victims is not always available, and so it is easy for the world to view them as just a smiling face in a photo.
Then, there are the details of the crimes themselves. Does the public need to know the gratuitous details? Does it matter how many times the victim was stabbed, or in what way the victim was sexually assaulted?
And of course, there’s also the intersection of other factors, like race, class, and gender, that play a role in who becomes a victim, who is charged with a crime, and who actually committed a crime. Many people, victims included, never receive fair representation.
