\u201cHumans are fascinated by evil.\u201d Like a car crash from which you cannot turn away,\u00a0society is oddly ensnared by tales of terror. While some find fear through fiction, others seek thrills\u00a0closer to home\u2013ones written on the pages of real lives. Indeed, for as long as books have been\u00a0printed, humanity has sat spellbound by stories of true crimes; real-life horrors more dreadful than\u00a0fantasy. These stranger-than-fiction stories enthrall the masses with vicarious tremor, allowing\u00a0their readers to stand \u201cat the shoulder of monsters.\u201d<\/p>\n
From its inception, the true crime genre has sought to elicit an emotional response from its\u00a0viewer. This emotively provocative approach\u2013formally known as sensationalism\u2013still serves as\u00a0the genre\u2019s distinctive cornerstone. In contrast, the canon\u2019s purpose has shifted dramatically with\u00a0time, ranging from religious promotion to penal reform to pure commercialism. And yet, despite\u00a0the genre\u2019s many motives, historical true crime stories did not aim to meaningfully influence their\u00a0underlying criminal cases. Instead, the canon\u2019s authors used the accused\u2019s specific circumstance\u00a0to promote general societal reformation. Nevertheless, recent resuscitations of the genre sit as\u00a0\u201cimpromptu branch[es] of the judiciary,\u201d calling into question settled verdicts and affecting the\u00a0outcomes of their chosen cases. The genre\u2019s resurgence\u2013known as the New True Crime\u2013changes\u00a0venue from the courts of justice to the courts of public opinion and carries along with it real-life\u00a0implications. The canon\u2019s newfound influence raises questions: Is the New True Crime different\u00a0from its predecessors? If so, what affects does it have? And, should steps be taken to mitigate\u00a0possible negative effects?<\/p>\n
This article seeks to answer those questions by examining two of the most prominent\u00a0examples of the New True Crime phenomenon: Sarah Koenig\u2019s Serial and Laura Ricciardi and\u00a0Moira Demos\u2019s Making a Murderer. The article first reviews the historical traits and motives of\u00a0the true crime genre. Next, it summarizes each show and explores how they have affected their\u00a0respective cases. The article then examines how these works apply traditional true crime\u00a0sensationalism to influence the outcome of a criminal case. Finally, it makes the case for\u00a0journalistic self-regulation in the true crime context.<\/p>\n