Weekly Recommendation: Mordlust
Hey there!
Here's your weekly German media recommendation from Monoglot Anxiety. This time, it's the true-crime podcast Mordlust.
Mordlust
Mordlust is an excellent true crime podcast from Funk that aims to understand why crimes happen. If you're interested in understanding Germany's criminal justice system, enjoy topics like psychology and medicine, or like good stories, do check it out. I was never a true-crime nut myself---in fact, I really didn't like crime fiction either, thanks to enduring my mom's Law and Order habit as a kid. But Mordlust really, really surprised me. It's a great mix of entertaining storytelling, careful journalism, and expert interviews held together by the amazing chemistry between hosts Laura and Paulina.
You can find Mordlust pretty much anywhere you find podcasts, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Criminal justice, law, and the ethics of crime reporting
The most fascinating thing about Mordlust isn't the crimes or characters, it's the unique angle it takes on true crime as a genre. Both hosts are journalists, and they devote serious thought and energy to understanding and explaining the German criminal justice system and to grappling with the ethics of telling entertaining stories that are ultimately about death and suffering. Paulina and Laura often call in expert guests to comment on controversial or difficult topics, and they clearly do their best to respect the dignity of everyone involved in the stories---victims and perpetrators alike. You'll be surprised how much you can learn from a true crime podcast done well.
That's all for this week. Until next week!
Elise from Monoglot Anxiety