Article explores moral questions and artistic value in true crime stories, highlighting ethical implications.
True crime is an incredibly popular genre of entertainment that crosses many forms of media including books, movies, TV shows, and podcasts. Is there something morally wrong with true crime stories or the enjoyment of them, given their focus on the pain and suffering of real people? In this article, I consider a range of concerns that implicate both the ethical and aesthetic dimensions of the true crime genre, and outline parameters for both the ethical creation and consumption of true crime.
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Erich Hatala Matthes (2026) studied this question.