J-Lab Episode 42: An ethical approach to crime reporting and true crime content, with Bethany Usher

As the public’s fascination with crime stories grows, so too does the responsibility of those who bring these stories to light. Whether through traditional journalism or increasingly popular true crime content, the way these narratives are crafted can shape perceptions, impact communities and, significantly, affect the lives of victims and their families. Our first guest on this episode is Bethany Usher, lecturer in journalism at Newcastle University, and author of a new book titled Journalism and Crime. Bethany is researching how we might create new codes of practice, for crime reporters, true crime content creators and police comms teams as well as for social media influencers and amateur sleuths. We recently hosted an afternoon of discussion on crime and journalism at Newcastle University, so later in this episode you’ll hear the views and opinions of crime reporters Anthony France of the Standard and Sophie Doughty of the Chronicle; Newsquest group editor Joy Yates, who’s a Society of Editors board member; Dominic Ponsford, Press Gazette’s editor-in-chief; true crime podcaster Hayley Mortimer of the BBC; true crime commissioner for Hearst Networks Diana Carter; Alice Gould, Independent Press Standards Organisation head of complaints; Eve McDowell, co-founder of Stalking Ireland; Clare Hoban, media content lawyer and true crime specialist at Reviewed and Cleared; and true crime scholars Kelli Boling (University of Nebraska), Megan Hoffman and Simon Hobbs (University of Portsmouth) and Barbara Henderson (Newcastle University). J-Lab is a podcast by the Civic Journalism Lab at Newcastle University.