The Politics of True Crime: Vulnerability and Documentaries on Murder in Swedish Public Service Radio’s P3 Documentary

Abstract

This chapter investigates vulnerability in relation to P3 Documentary, a podcast format that has been aired by Sveriges Radio, Sweden's public service radio, since 2005. It is the most popular radio programme in Sweden with 600,000 listeners weekly (Kantar Sifo 2019) and, bearing in mind that the country's whole population is only 10 million people, it is an influential authority. A majority of the P3 documentaries recount themes related to vulnerability in various ways. However, the most common topic is crime,

Consumption of true crimes and perceived vulnerability: Does the cultural context matter?

“…This research contributes to the understanding of audiences’ responses to TCDs, which are an increasingly popular form of audiovisual content (Bruzzi, 2016; Horeck, 2014; Hyvönen et al, 2020). Analysis of TCDs informs on how societies interact with violence (Compton, 2019) and think about crime and justice (Hyvönen et al, 2020). The information provided by this study is relevant not only for scholars but also for media industries and regulatory bodies.…”

“…TCDs reflect the way society talks about and interacts with violence, thus creating a space for debate and eventual change (Compton, 2019). They might influence public discourse about crime and justice (Hyvönen et al, 2020). Indeed, they show uninformed general audiences how the criminal justice system works, leading to their jurification or teaching them how to establish truth (Bruzzi, 2016: 280).…”

“…Studies of vulnerability have increased in recent years in different contexts (e.g. crime, migration, and education), where it is related to gender, ethnicity, nationality, age, sexuality, religion, or geographic location (Hyvönen et al, 2020). Concerning the media, vulnerability is defined as an ontological condition shared by human beings despite some groups and individuals being more vulnerable than others (Koivunen et al, 2018).…”

“…True crime documentaries (TCDs) have recently become a very popular form of audiovisual content (Bruzzi, 2016) due to the popularity of TV streaming services (Hyvönen et al, 2020), the documentary boom (Austin, 2007), and the demand for authentic stories (Horeck, 2014). They have a long history as a form of entertainment (Compton, 2019) although they existed as a genre since the 16th century.…”

“…Although half of the portrayed are females, such narratives present women as vulnerable, especially when they are outside of the home. This vulnerability is typically represented as a response to a violent threat, suggesting that women need to be wary and stay at home, and that it is inappropriate and irresponsible for them to go out alone (Hyvönen et al, 2020). Feminist scholars state that vulnerability could be used to control minorities such as women, migrants, or LGTBQ+ while paradoxically becoming a remarkable vehicle for resistance and social transformation (Butler, 2004;Butler et al, 2016).…”