Why Janet Malcolm’s The Journalist and the Murderer is essential reading for Serial listeners.
Courtesy of Serial
Serial , a new podcast spin-off of This American Life, may have created a new form of media consumption: the binge listen. New listeners are likely to ingest every episode (eight so far) of the real life murder mystery in a single day. Once hooked, fans start debating, speculating, and comparing theories in the same manner they do Game of Thrones or LOST. There is an entire subreddit devoted to theories and discussion, an online parody, and weekly recaps on Slate .
Serial follows journalist Sarah Koenig's present-day investigation into the 1999 murder of teenager Hae Min Lee. The murder was pinned on her ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, but the motive is vague and much of the evidence and testimony sketchy. The story is filled with twists and mysteries, and also forms a brilliant portrait of both the slipperiness of truth and the effort that goes into real investigative journalism. If you haven't listened yet, go play the first episode. You'll understand why Buzzfeed called it the best crime drama of the year.
For a non-fiction show to develop the same kind of addictive feel as prestige TV dramas is surprising, and for that non-fiction show to be purely audio is remarkable. The phenomenon also raises some tricky ethical questions. The characters in Serial are all real humans and the crime was a real crime. What does it mean for fans to be spinning fantastic conspiracy theories about real people with the same vigor they debate the ending of The Sopranos or the parentage of Jon Snow? Are the untrained online fans doing their own investigations—tracking down Facebook profiles, studying documents mentioned in the podcast—helping to solve the case or merely being irresponsible? And how much of our interest is in the truth and how much in a satisfying narrative?
Recently I was discussing the show with some acquaintances who were saying how angry they would be if the show ends on a "we'll never really know the truth" note. I said that seemed like the most likely outcome, as any legal change or truly revelatory evidence would likely be reported by other news outlets. One person suggested it was possible that Koenig could be preventing the reporting of relevant details until the podcast was over—as if "spoilers" were a more pressing concern than criminal justice.
I binge-listened to Serial last weekend and immediately went online to read people's theories. The show is highly engrossing and the case does feel like a genuine mystery. The way Koenig structures the "chapters" leaves the listener changing their mind about the case a half-dozen times an episode. It is frequently compared to Truman Capote's brilliant true crime novel In Cold Blood. While listening and reading the surrounding commentary, though, I couldn't help but think of my favorite true crime book: Janet Malcolm's The Journalist and the Murderer . This is one book that every fan of Serial should run out and read.
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