CH115: Science of Crime

In the past few years, the world has transitioned from the classic ways of receiving news and learning about events to a digitalized world that makes everything easily accessible. One specific community has really taken advantage of this transition from paper to screen: the true crime community. 

With the explosion of podcasts especially, people are able to hear about cases that might have previously just been in the paper for a day or two, then never heard of again. While many people still read the newspaper, younger generations can prefer the new medium of podcasts. Podcasts can be listened to while driving to work, or while going on a run, and many people view it as a much more flexible way to receive information. However, both podcasts and news articles have aspects that the other does not have.

In the case of the Golden State killer, the news article gave much more background and was able to provide pictures within the article, something that a podcast does not have the ability to do. The article is also split into different sections, with titles and subtitles, something that can be helpful to a reader if they want to go back and review a specific portion of the article, which can be especially helpful if doing research. It also lets you know where the article is headed, something that might not be possible in a podcast.

The podcast has its own benefits however, as it provides a much more conversational dialogue. Podcasts often have interviews and sound clips of the actual people involved in the case, as was true with the podcast about the Golden State Killer. The ability to hear the inflection in people’s voices and the specific points they want to emphasize, or emotions they want to convey is something that is much harder to do in a written article. Overall, I find that I prefer written articles, probably because it is more conventional and I am more familiar with it. I also find it easier to skim a written article, which is not exactly possible with a podcast, maybe you can put it in 2x speed? However, podcasts have exploded in popularity in recent years, inspiring many people to pursue cases on their own time and uncover evidence that was previously overlooked. In this sense, both are valuable resources. (390)

I think that there are a ton of interesting differences in the telling of stories through articles and through podcasts. I researched the podcast and article about the infamous Golden State killer. I thought that the biggest difference between the two mediums was how they told the story. In the article from the LA Times, the author takes a first-person perspective on how they researched the case throughout time. It didn’t have a set linear timeline of their investigation or of the case as a whole. She bounces around from her investigation, to witness accounts, to police accounts, to details about the case. The information she gives is very detail-oriented. It focuses on exactly what happened in the case: all of the evidence and witness testimony that she looked at. This makes sense as she wanted to find out the identity of the killer, so she would look at the evidence. On the other hand, the podcast took a quite different approach. Instead of bouncing around a lot, it took a very linear look at the progression from this man being just a peeper toward becoming the Golden State killer. It describes different stories of his crimes, using some witness and police testimony similar to the article. I think that it overall did not have as much detail of what exactly he was doing in these crimes. It obviously didn’t have no detail, but the focus was more on capturing the events and atmosphere around this terrifying person much more than the specific evidence. This difference between creating an atmosphere with the podcast and looking at the specific details of the article is unsurprising. I believe this is because podcasts are generally made to tell a story more than inform. Podcasts are a form of entertainment, so principally are made to capture a feeling of mystery and fear, like a horror or thriller movie, which is what it does. It describes the events of his crimes with eerie music to capture the scariness of the crime. The article on the other hand wants to inform people about this notorious killer that many people didn’t know of so he could possibly be caught. They are just consumed for different reasons. If you want a good story, listen to a podcast. If you want to know exactly what happened and be informed, read an article.

Word Count: 393

I think the main attraction of podcasts is that they are convenient. You can listen to a podcast while in the car, working out, or even cooking. Podcasts allow people to multitask and make them feel like they are using the most of their time. When compared to the article, the podcast was much more direct. Although both mediums describe various attacks by the Golden State Killer, the article went into much greater detail. Not all of this detail may have been necessary to get the point across. However, the result is that the article reads more like a story. 

Additionally, unlike podcasts, the journalist goes into her own personal investigation of the case, and readers get to know what type of person she is. The journalist even shared her investigative origin story by sharing a personal anecdote from her childhood. However, the podcast simply recounts the details of the case in a less personal fashion. This may be preferable for people with a short attention span. In a way, the article felt more engaging because it was like the journalist was bringing me through the mystery myself and I was discovering things with her along the way. However, I actually preferred the podcast. Although I could not visualize the case as well, I liked how I could speed it up instead of having to get through it all at my slow reading pace. 

Although they were interesting and made the article engaging, I did not feel all the personal detail was necessary. If I just wanted to learn about the case, I would definitely say the podcast is the way to go. The podcast seemed to be a more removed retelling as the speaker did not have any personal stories about the crime. However, the first-person anecdotes in the podcast were much more touching and chilling. Although they both recounted first-person stories of attacks, you could actually hear the victims’ voices in the podcast. Hearing the pain and sorrow as they went through their memories made their stories more real to me and allowed me to connect with them more. (353)

It’s no secret that podcasts are taking over the world. Why not? Podcasts let us plug in our headphones and listen while doing mundane tasks. The variety of podcasts has even more drawing appeal, from true crime to gossip. Podcasts have taken over our minds and are winning the ever-losing battle against articles. 

However, never underestimate the power of an article. Even though articles can seem a bit boring, they are the foundation for learning and easily provide visual evidence to back up a point. With articles, it is easier for us to fall into a rabbit hole and learn more about a topic allowing us to cite effortlessly. Podcasts heavily rely on the audience’s visual imagination to understand the storytelling to be done. 

Podcasts hold a certain charm compared to articles. The creators of podcasts can add a musical element to build suspense, paranoia, and even anxiety in their atmosphere to further draw their audience to the story. Podcasts also allow us to have to hear the voices of people without the doubt of an unreliable narrator. For example, in The Man in the Window, the podcast host interviews an actual victim of the Golden State Killer. This leaves no room for doubt that what we are being told is true since we are getting a recount from an actual eyewitness of the crime. This is sometimes not the case for articles. In the Los Angeles Magazine article, In the Footsteps of a Killer, the audience follows the author, Michelle Mcnamara, as she tries to navigate the Golden State Killer murders and his identity. As a reader, you begin to notice that Mcnamara might be losing her mind. As she recounts an impulsive buy in hopes of evidence believing her husband to be an intruder and almost attacking him, Mcnamara weaves in the details of the Golden State Killer and her urgency to find him. This is something we don’t see in the podcast. 

Overall podcasts vs articles are a personal preference. Both shine in their spotlight and can sometimes miss the cues. However, both allow us to learn about new topics, like crimes, in an interesting way that keeps us hooked and wanting more. (366)

Podcasts are a very cool and innovative way for information to spread engagingly. For many people, including myself, it is hard to force themselves to sit down and be engaged in an article. As opposed to an article, it is a lot easier for the author to hook the listener and keep their attention throughout. When reading an article, however, I often find myself scrolling to the bottom, trying to figure out how much longer I have to read. 

This was the case when it came to the Golden State Killer article and podcast. With the podcast, I was drawn to the author’s voice and the way they presented the information. I felt that I had absorbed the information a lot more by actively listening than by mindlessly skimming an article. With the crime blogs, I find it a little more manageable to be drawn in, as the format is similar to the script of a podcast. However, the tone that is present in podcasts is not present in crime blogs, which, in my opinion, gives podcasts the edge.

One fault with podcasts is that it can be much harder for listeners to quickly cite and jot down information without having to go back in the podcast and listen multiple times to correctly quote it. This fault is not present in articles, as it is very easy to copy down the information presented. Simple as that. That’s what can give articles an edge for some people. In my opinion, articles are much easier to use as references when writing papers, including the papers we all just wrote. I will say that in terms of grasping information quickly, articles are often much more straight to the point than podcasts. Instead of having to sift through an hour-long podcast for the one small bit of information you need, it is so much easier to find in an article. 

Both are good in their own ways, but as a form of entertainment and a way of truly immersing myself in a story, podcasts are great and a very fun way to enjoy learning. 

Word Count: (350)

Any medium that encourages people to be more in the know about what is going on in the world is a good thing. However, podcasts allow a different level of accessibility than articles, allowing people to educate themselves while they are folding laundry, walking their dog, or driving to work.

Marie was a young adult fresh out of the foster care system when she told the police about her rape story. When they found inconsistencies in her story, they pushed her until she admitted that she lied – rather than recognizing that sometimes, details get lost in memory when something traumatic happens. An Unbelievable Story of Rape and Anatomy of Doubt both walk us through Marie’s gut-wrenching story, and both do an effective job at portraying the facts.

In An Unbelievable Story of Rape, we are able to move through the incredibly heavy story at our own pace, and take breaks in the natural pauses of the article. We also get to look at pictures, giving us additional time to articulate our feelings. Also, while we are reading, it’s the only thing we can focus on – during a podcast, we can multitask, which means we do not absorb all of the information.

However, podcasts introduce an aspect of accessibility that articles cannot offer: they do not require reading abilities. While many people think literacy is a given, it is not – and podcasts allow people with different levels of literacy to participate in journalism, and society in general. Also, people can listen to them all of the time, allowing us to generally consume more information. While this may lead to distraction, it is better than someone giving up on educating themselves altogether because they don’t have time to devote their entire attention to something for several minutes. Podcasts are also far more interesting, because you are actually listening to someone’s voice, which gives a more humanizing perspective than just words on a page.

While the debate of podcasts vs. articles is a valid one, we also must be grateful for the fact that people are educating themselves at all. Both are fantastic ways to stay in the know, and preferences simply change from person to person.