Mullhall, Rebecca E. (2023) The Court of Public Opinion: True Crime Podcasting as a Response to Prosecutorial Culture in Media. Masters thesis, National University of Ireland Maynooth.

Preview

Download (686kB) | Preview

Abstract

The focus of this research was to explore the mechanisms of the media and how it frames true crime cases in contemporary western society. This research makes use of two case studies including true crime podcasts that explore the prosecutorial culture of true crime media, court procedures and police conduct in the jurisdictions of Maryland (U.S.), the Republic of Ireland, and France. The aim of this research is to explore how the criminal justice system and the wider public feed into prosecutorial culture when evaluating prime suspects identified by policing bodies, and the role of factual evidence, DNA, and witness testimony in the formation of these perceptions. The current research contains two strands of research. The first strand of research includes two case studies of true crime podcasts – ‘Serial’ hosted by Sarah Koenig and ‘West Cork’ hosted by Jennifer Forde and Sam Bungey. The case study analysis explored the individual consequences of each case, with results including cultural profiling based on racial stereotypes, lack of DNA evidence, reliance on witness testimony and circumstantial evidence, and prosecutorial media framing. In the second strand of research, a comparative approach is used to evaluate the legislation and court procedure of the three jurisdictions of the case studies. From this analysis, it became clear that the legislation is applied in court with the priority of conviction rather than establishing truth. Furthermore, it is highlighted in the discussion of this research that the legislation has become more symbolic than it is effective. The primary theme derived from both strands of research related to the prevalence of prosecutorial culture fostered by media coverage of high profile murder cases, and in direct response to this, the podcasts under analysis are sophisticated, scientifically informed retellings with effective critical analysis to engage viewers in productive, active consumption which for the first time in media history, has positively impacted real life cases.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Additional Information:	A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MA in Comparative Criminology and Criminal Justice.
Keywords:	Court of Public Opinion; True Crime Podcasting; Response; Prosecutorial Culture; Media; Comparative Criminology and Criminal Justice;
Academic Unit:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Law
Item ID:	19129
Depositing User:	IR eTheses
Date Deposited:	31 Oct 2024 11:31
URI:
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

Repository Staff Only(login required)

Item control page

Downloads

Origin of downloads