Seeking Justice Elsewhere: Informal and formal justice in the true crime podcasts Trace and The Teacher’s Pet

Abstract

Following Carol Smart’s argument that feminists have reason to mistrust legal institutions and to seek justice elsewhere, this article suggests that contemporary Australian true crime podcasts offer women and their families alternatives to seek justice beyond formal systems. This article will examine the representation of women in two recent and popular Australian true crime podcasts that followed inconclusive investigations of murder cases. Trace (2017–2018) is a seven-episode true crime podcast by Rachael Brown for the ABC about the 1980 murder of Maria James in her Melbourne bookshop, where she lived with her two sons. The Teacher’s Pet by Hedley Thomas for The Australian is about the disappearance of Lynette Dawson from the northern beaches of Sydney in 1982, leaving behind her two daughters. Thomas explicitly accuses Dawson’s husband, former professional rugby player, Chris Dawson, of murdering her and disposing of her body. Both true crime podcasts represent women in ways that—while not always feminist—use the affordances of mass media to draw support from the public, effectively inviting the audience to perform as an alternate jury. In both cases, this jurified audience has then engendered changes in formal processes.

The Mediated Portrayal of Intimate Partner Violence in True Crime Podcasts: Strangulation, Isolation, Threats of Violence, and Coercive Control

“…Interestingly, due to the clear descriptions of intersecting (and escalating) forms of abuse and multiple victims, it could be argued that listeners were not left wondering who committed the crimes, but instead how justice could be delayed or denied for these women. In this way, the podcasts highlighted formal justice's failure to protect women (Pâquet, 2020) from IPV.…”

“…Podcasts can help IPV survivors talk about abuse with their loved ones, and can help educators teach about IPV. Moreover, podcasts-and the forums that spring from them-provide a gathering space (Pâquet, 2020) for survivors, family, friends, and strangers alike to share, theorize, and hope for a more just society (Hamilton, 2020). Perhaps most importantly, the democratic nature of podcasting-where anyone with a microphone and internet access can produce a podcast-can provide victim-survivors with a forum to tell their own stories.…”

“…as possible” so they do not misinform the public (Brodie et al, 2001, p. 198). Across all four podcasts described herein, listeners were engaged and jurified (Pâquet, 2020), and they were given detailed descriptions of multiple forms of abuse. In an era clouded with “fake news,” these podcasts pointed toward one truth—within the home, men’s violence against women is a deadly issue.…”

“…This thirst for the “truth” leads audiences of true crime podcasts to engage as both listeners and truth-seekers (Horeck, 2019). Listeners of true crime podcasts are increasingly jurified—they are given the facts of the case, much like a jury would be during a trial—and are asked to come to their own conclusions (Pâquet, 2020). In this way, the listeners feel they are part of the story (Horeck, 2019).…”

“…In this way, the listeners feel they are part of the story (Horeck, 2019). Similarly, the creator of the podcast takes on the role of police detective and lawyer (Pâquet, 2020), bringing together multiple witnesses and facts to help listeners piece it together. In the era of fake news, “long-form true crime is seen to have striking democratic and investigative capabilities” (Horeck, 2019, p. 135).…”