The Misery Beat: The Ethics of Reporting on Crime and Human Suffering

From the front page to the home page, stories of crime and tragedy have dominated news coverage since the earliest days of journalism. Today, crime stories continue to be among the most-watched and read pieces produced by many news organizations, while true crime documentary series and podcasts have further expanded the reach and popularity of what was traditionally known as “The Misery Beat.”

But what obligation do reporters and news organizations have to the individuals and communities who are affected by crime and tragedy, and to the broader public? Why are we drawn to these sad and tragic stories, and is there a better way to tell and share them? Should we even be telling them at all?

In this lecture, veteran crime reporter Jana Pruden goes beyond the police tape to examine the ethics around media reporting of crime, disaster, and tragedy, and consider both the meaning and significance of these difficult true stories.

Jana G. Pruden is an award-winning feature writer at The Globe and Mail based in Edmonton, and the former Crime Bureau Chief of the Edmonton Journal. In her 20 years as a reporter, she has written for newspapers and magazines around the country, covering some of Canada’s biggest criminal cases and breaking news events. She has co-authored two books of true crime. In addition to The Globe and Mail, her work has appeared in The Walrus, Reader’s Digest and Longreads.