Why are we so obsessed with true crime? Hint: It’s not just morbid curiosity

The Conversation · 🇦🇺 public Australia · Aug 18, 2026 · 955 words · By Michael Arntfield

Gender-based Consumption Patterns Societal Impact of Sensationalism Psychology of True Crime Consumption

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What to know about Gender-based Consumption Patterns

The article examines the psychological and social drivers behind the popularity of the true crime genre, using a recent Netflix documentary about the Idaho murders as a starting point. It discusses theories such as benign hedonic masochism, opponent-process theory, and the role of true crime as a didactic tool for survival and community building.

Propaganda risk 20%

Claims checked 10

Techniques found 1

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center100%

Right0%

2 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

A couple of weeks ago, Netflix released The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare, a documentary revisiting the 2022 killings of four University of Idaho students — Ethan Chapin (20 years old), Kaylee Goncalves (21), Xana Kernodle (20) and Madison Mogen (21).

Why it matters

The case, which seemed closed when Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty in 2025 and was sentenced to life in prison, isn’t actually closed.

Common ground

Kohberger has since petitioned the court to withdraw that plea, arguing coercion and bad legal advice.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Gender-based Consumption Patterns story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Kohberger has since petitioned the court to withdraw that plea, arguing coercion and bad legal advice?
How does this story connect Gender-based Consumption Patterns with Societal Impact of Sensationalism over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://theconversation.com/why-are-we-so-obsessed-with-true-crime-hint-its-not-…

analyticsAnalysis

20%

Propaganda Score

confidence: 95%

Minor concerns. Some persuasive language detected, but largely factual.

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 10 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5

help Insufficient Evidence 1

verified Verified By Reference 1

verified Verified 1

info Single Source 1

report Misleading 1

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Claim 1: “Kohberger has since petitioned the court to withdraw that plea, arguing coercion and bad legal advice.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple news sources (IBTimes UK, ABC News, and a Fact Check Team) report that Kohberger petitioned to withdraw his guilty plea, citing bad legal advice and coercion/false promises.

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web search NEUTRAL — Bryan Kohberger Files Shock Petition to Withdraw Guilty Plea. Bryan Kohberger is attempting to overturn his conviction nearly a year after admitting to the November 13, 2022, murders of Madison Mogen,…
https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/bryan-kohberger-post-conviction-re…

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web search NEUTRAL — The court must first determine whether Kohberger's petition presents sufficient legal grounds to move forward. A judge could dismiss the petition, order additional briefing, or schedule an evidentiary…
https://abcnews4.com/news/nation-world/fact-check-team-bryan…

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web search NEUTRAL — Kohberger is claiming in his petition that he pleaded guilty due to bad legal advice and “false promises.” Bryan Kohberger is escorted into a courtroom for a hearing in Latah County District Court, Se…
https://abcnews.com/US/bryan-kohberger-challenge-conviction-…

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Claim 2: “Psychologists have a name for it: opponent-process theory. The theory proposes that intense emotional experiences trigger a secondary, opposing emotional response.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources (BetterHelp, iResearchNet, and a theory-specific search result) confirm that opponent-process theory proposes that an initial emotional experience triggers a secondary, opposing response.

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web search NEUTRAL — Opponent process theory explains the opposing reactions that occur when humans have positive and negative experiences.According to the theory, the emotional value that is tied to the initial reaction …
https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/psychology/what-is-opponen…

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web search NEUTRAL — Opponent Process Theory remains a cornerstone of social psychology theories, offering profound insights into how emotional responses to stimuli evolve through opposing primary and secondary processes.
https://psychology.iresearchnet.com/social-psychology/social…

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web search NEUTRAL — Opponent process theory proposes that emotions and motivational states have an opposite counterpart that gets activated after the initial emotion fades.
https://www.simplypsychology.org/opponent-process-theory.htm…

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Claim 3: “the fascination with male offenders in particular has been linked to a disordered erotic interest known as hybristophillia.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to corroborate the link between fascination with male offenders and hybristophilia.

verified

Claim 4: “Originally coined by communications professor George Gerbner as “mean world syndrome,” the theory holds that repeated exposure to mediated violence can cultivate heightened perceptions of danger, vulnerability and interpersonal threat.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia directly confirms that George Gerbner coined 'mean world syndrome' and that it describes the perception of the world as more dangerous due to exposure to media violence.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Models of communication simplify or represent the process of communication. Most communication models try to describe both verbal and non-verbal communication and often understand it as an exchange of…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Models_of_communication

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — George Gerbner (August 8, 1919 – December 24, 2005) was a professor of communication and the founder of cultivation theory. He taught at Temple University, Villanova University, and the University of …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Gerbner

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mean world syndrome is a proposed cognitive bias wherein people may perceive the world to be more dangerous than it is. This is due to long-term moderate to heavy exposure to violence-related content …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mean_world_syndrome

verified

Claim 5: “Adult women, in particular, are consistently identified as the target demographic for cable and streaming true-crime series, and the pattern holds even more strongly in podcasting.”

VERIFIED

Web search results indicate that women are significantly more likely to consume true crime, with one source estimating the audience is 80 percent female and specifically mentioning podcasts.

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web search NEUTRAL — A study of adult women’s sleep quality and routines.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08927936.2018.15…

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web search NEUTRAL — Women are twice as likely as men to listen to true crime podcasts, and younger women with less formal education are particularly likely to listen. Some have estimated that the audience for true crime …
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/16/opinion/women-true-crime-…

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web search NEUTRAL — Some true crime cases are disturbing. Others are so deeply unsettling that they are almost impossible to comprehend.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HO-Ky357ArQ

info

Claim 6: “true crime feels current, it is the fourth iteration of the genre under one name or another since the mid-19th century.”

SINGLE SOURCE

Only one web search result contains the specific phrasing that true crime is the 'fourth iteration of the genre... since the mid-19th century'. No other sources corroborate this specific historical classification.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The is the definite article in English. The, or THE, may also refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_(disambiguation)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Falling Man is a photograph taken by Associated Press photographer Richard Drew of an unidentified man falling from the World Trade Center during the September 11 attacks in New York City, United …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Falling_Man

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 7: “In its first five days on the streamer, it had brought in 18.2 million views”

MISLEADING

The claim states the series brought in 18.2 million views in its first 'five days'. However, two independent web sources explicitly state the 18.2 million views were tallied in its 'first week'.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In the early morning hours of November 13, 2022, four University of Idaho students—Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, and Xana Kernodle—were fatally stabbed in an off-campus house in Mosco…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Idaho_student_murders

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Kerri Rawson (born 1978) is an American author and activist for the rights of crime victims. She is the daughter of serial killer Dennis Rader, known as BTK, who committed ten murders in Kansas betwee…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerri_Rawson

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Skye Borgman is an American film director and cinematographer. She is best known for her work on the documentary film Abducted in Plain Sight.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skye_Borgman

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 8: “Netflix released The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare, a documentary revisiting the 2022 killings of four University of Idaho students — Ethan Chapin (20 years old), Kaylee Goncalves (21), Xana Kernodle (20) and Madison Mogen (21).”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results confirm the release of the Netflix documentary 'The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare' and correctly identify the four victims: Ethan Chapin, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Madison Mogen. Wikipedia confirms the victims' names and the 2022 date of the killings.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Netflix is an American global streaming-on-demand media provider that since 2007 has distributed many original streaming television shows, including original series, specials, miniseries, documentarie…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Netflix_original_progr…

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 9: “Drawing on Paul Rozin’s pioneering theory of hedonic reversal, benign hedonic masochism describes a paradoxical psychological condition through which people acquire pleasure from simulated aversive experiences”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm Paul Rozin's theory of 'benign masochism' (or hedonic reversal), describing it as gaining pleasure from simulated aversive or negative experiences.

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web search NEUTRAL — We described these hedonic reversals as examples of benign masochism (Rozin & Schiller, 1980; Rozin 1990, 1999; see also Bloom, 2010). Benign masochism refers to enjoying initially negative experience…
https://www.decisionsciencenews.com/sjdm/journal.sjdm.org/12…

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web search NEUTRAL — Psychologist Paul Rozin refers to it as ‘Benign Masochism,’ ‘Hedonic Reversal,’ and ‘Constrained Risk.’We do an outstanding job of simulating negative experiences to achieve something akin to pleasure…
https://medium.com/@calmesebrennan/benign-masochism-e758b215…

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web search NEUTRAL — Many basic principles of hedonic systems may be studied in the more primitive sensory pleasure system. These include the properties of context dependence and the mappings between remembered, experienc…
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Preadaptation-and-the-…

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Claim 10: “Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty in 2025 and was sentenced to life in prison”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources report that Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty on July 2, 2025, and received a life sentence, avoiding a capital trial.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — One Night in Idaho: The College Murders is an American documentary series directed and produced by Liz Garbus and Matthew Galkin. As of June 2026, Katie A. King serves as showrunner. The series premie…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Night_in_Idaho:_The_Colleg…

+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.