Why Write About Crime When Crime Content Can Be Harmful?
Here’s why I do it
I write about criminology and criminal justice research, but I also write about writing about crime, specifically nonfiction crime content.
I’m talking mostly about crime journalism and true crime here. In whatever medium.
But why write about crime at all? Because crime content can be a force for good.
I know. Not always. In fact, crime content can be harmful.
Crime content can increase fear, exploit and revictimize victims and their families, increase the likelihood of wrongful conviction, spread misinformation and myths, support inequity, and more.
However, when done right, crime content can do a lot of good. It can inform and educate, raise awareness, bring new leads to unsolved cases, show justice being done, expose injustice, bring about change, bear witness, and more.
