Ask the Editor - What is WORLD’s interest in true crime?

NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Friday, April 29th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Nick Eicher.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: And I’m Myrna Brown. Up next our monthly segment: Ask the Editor.

On March 31st we launched our latest podcast: Lawless.

CLIP: In court, it’s not always hard data that sways a jury…sometimes it’s which lawyer has the more compelling story. Deacon represented an insurance company. And Woodworth? He was fighting for a tragic young couple in love.

Four weeks into the project, feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. But a few listeners have offered some constructive criticism.

Here’s WORLD Radio executive producer Paul Butler.

PAUL BUTLER, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: One week ago I received the following email from a listener named Jason:

In March, I began listening to The World and Everything in It after a considerable absence (nothing personal)…[so] I was unaware of…Lawless...

I nearly deleted…[it] without listening—as the overabundance of “true crime” and “real crime” dramas inundate television and audiobooks. But I listened. And then I was disgusted. This isn’t a program a Christian organization should be affiliated with, let alone produce...A straight-forward documentary sans the dramatic re-enactments would…better…serve the memory of Terri Schiavo.

Jason is right that there is an overabundance of true crime TV series, podcast serials, and audio books. It’s hard to say just how many, but they’re everywhere. A recent marketing survey found that “True Crime” is the third most popular podcast genre—just behind news.

With hundreds—if not thousands—of new offerings every year, do listeners really need another one? I happen to think we do. Why? Because what’s missing in most True Crime series is “Biblical objectivity.” That’s what we believe makes Lawless unique.

We’re driven by Ephesians 5:11-13—exposing the deeds of darkness and manifesting the light.

Most True Crime podcasts out there are good at exposing the sinfulness of our world. But we’re committed to something more. You can hear it in this line from our theme music:

“The devil’s at the door trying to take control, but the Lord’s going to scatter his bones.”

Despite living in a fallen world, God is at work. He’s in the business of redeeming and restoring. Even as we struggle to see it.

So when Jason writes: “This isn’t a program a Christian organization should be affiliated with, let alone produce…” I must respectfully disagree.

I like how Andi Gillis, our Digital Content Coordinator at WORLD recently put it: “Lawless brings to light stories of injustice”—and she says it’s our duty, as Christians, to expose them. Additionally, “Lawless serves to insert truth into a narrative shaped by media misinformation and bias.”

That media bias and misinformation continues to this day about the Terri Schiavo case. And that’s what moved us to tackle this story. In this way.

We live in a world of Tweets and soundbites. So we’re taking our time in telling the story methodically, laying out the facts, and doing what we can to set the record straight as we do so. And we feel that the best way to do that is to wrestle through conflicting testimony. To explore the complexity of the law. And to get to know the people in the story…as people—and not just a means to an ideological end.

Could we tell the story quicker? Sure. Could our pacing be faster? At times. But we’re going to err on the side of taking our time—letting you hear from multiple sides and giving you lots of context. And that’s because we don’t see ourselves as the only investigators…you are too. You’re working through arguments. Weighing the facts. Making up your mind.

Back to Jason’s note, he ends by saying that a “a straight-forward documentary” without the “dramatic reenactments” would better serve the memory of Terri Schiavo. That may be true, but I think it illustrates a possible misunderstanding of our purpose. We’re not serving the memory of Terri Schiavo. Instead, we want listeners—particularly those who think they know the whole story—to examine all the evidence, and ultimately re-evaluate their own beliefs about the value of life and how to protect it.

So if Lawless isn’t your cup of tea, we understand, but we do invite you to pray with us that God would multiply our five loaves and two fish. We hope that Lawless can reach a whole new audience with Biblically objective journalism that informs, educates, and inspires—not just by exposing the deeds of darkness, but manifesting the light.

I’m Paul Butler.

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