Let’s be honest, each university major has their own set of clichés. Those in business are partiers, psychology majors self-diagnose, and criminology and forensic students love true crime. I’ll be the first to say that clichés are simply, well, clichés! 90% of the time, there isn’t much truth behind these claims, and even if there is, it’s usually more so to poke fun. With that being said, as someone who has completed her undergraduate degree in forensic science, I cannot get over the true crime cliché. It’s one that’s simply false, yet also true, but actually false, and not for the reason you may think.
According to the Merriem-Webster dictionary, true crime is defined as “a nonfiction genre of literature, film, podcasts, etc. that depicts and examines real crime cases”(1). It’s a simple and straightforward definition that is easily misrepresented. Throughout my undergraduate career, I became all too familiar with true crime and “true crime.” Whether I had to research a specific case for an assignment, was asked about true crime myself by others, or even in very few instances in which I overheard classmates professing their admiration to violent serial killers, true crime is practically unavoidable in my area of study.
The truth is that there is an important difference in documentary, factual media and fictional, “based on real events” entertainment television. It isn’t inherently wrong to enjoy or be interested in a fabricated limited series; that’s actually the entire purpose of them. Media creators utilize the shock factor of an event to make their audiences interested, honing in views and further expanding their profit margins. If a series is “inspired by real life events” with changed names, details, events, and more, then the intent was not for awareness, but to utilize a story for views.
My thoughts on the matter? If you really do enjoy these types of shows, movies, and media formats, then that’s fine. I don’t want to shame somebody because they like a tv series about a series of events loosely based on a true series of events. With that being said, please keep in mind that these true events were/are someone’s life, and although some are comfortable in sharing the story for awareness purposes, many victims and their families do not get permission and their accounts are exploited in the name of entertainment. Conspiracy theories can be fun in practice, but they can easily blur the lines of fact and fiction, especially in the situation of unsolved cases. If you are interested in the idea of true crime, but would rather veer your focus to actual true crime, consider one of these options.
Explore With Us
Explore With Us is a YouTube channel that creates videos about criminal events that have taken place and were captured using police bodycam and security camera footage. This channel does an excellent job of providing the audience with factual details in an unbiased manner in the name of education. One thing I applaud Explore With Us for doing is providing minimal, faceless commentary, focusing mainly on letting the footage explain the story.
JCS – Criminal Psychology
Similar to Explore With Us, JCS – Criminal Psychology is a YouTube channel that focuses on factual events, specifically during interrogation interviews. Although there are only a handful of videos on the channel, they are extremely extensive and highlight high-profile cases and events.
True North True Crime
Unlike the previous two, True North True Crime is a true crime podcast that brings forth Canadian-specific cases including missing persons, murders, and other unsolved cases. One thing that True North True Crime does is they select specific cases brought forth by family and close friends of the victims, allowing for interviews and first-hand accounts of the victims and their lives.
- Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). True crime definition & meaning. Merriam-Webster. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/true%20crime