On 23 May, the full professor of Audiovisual Communication and rector of UIC Barcelona, Dr Alfonso Méndiz, presented his new book 21 dilemas éticos del true crime contemporáneo, a publication which also involved Marta Sánchez Esparza, a lecturer at Rey Juan Carlos University.
“I strongly relate to Alfonso’s enthusiasm and his eagerness to get things done.” With these words, Ramon Pellicer set the stage for an hour-long conversation with the true crime expert, which served to present the 21 dilemmas to attendees.
When asked about society’s widespread interest in true crime, Méndiz argued that “there is a controlled fear that lets us gaze into the abyss of evil.” “It’s natural that we want to understand how someone can commit a crime, but mass consumption can lead to its trivialisation,” he noted. “Telling stories about murder is deeply rooted in our culture, from Greek tragedies to Shakespeare and crime fiction of Dashiell Hammett. The problem is how it is presented, not the genre itself,” he explained.
For the UIC Barcelona Rector, the red line that should never be crossed – and which the book defines as a “proto-dilemma” – is profiting from crime. “Some murderers are benefiting financially by selling the rights to their stories to production companies. Evil becomes profitable; being a murderer brings financial gain and notoriety, while we trample on the respect of victims,” he contended.
In his book, Méndiz calls for a “rigorous” approach that distinguishes between real scenes and reconstructed events. “Experts agree on one thing: the need to minimise harm to families and respect their boundaries,” he stressed. The glorification of criminals and the re-victimisation of families are among the dilemmas examined in depth in the book and discussed during the conversation.
Towards a more ethical future
According to Méndiz, a more ethical approach to true crime should take into consideration several aspects: firstly, regulating the genre to protect victims, an issue the professor already addressed in an outreach article in The Conversation; and secondly, promoting a form of true crime that is “less obsessed with impact and places limits on sensationalism”.
The book’s authors propose a specific measure, namely the creation of a dedicated code of ethics. “A code of ethics based on journalistic ethics should be developed,” he asserted. Alfonso Méndiz also proposed that all productions should clearly indicate that the perpetrator has not benefited from the process, and that documentary sources should be “transparent”.
The event concluded with a Q&A session among attendees, in which the Rector and the journalist took part, highlighting the strong interest in the true crime genre. Alfonso Méndiz also gave a radio interview on Cadena COPE, in which he spoke about his new book, available in open access format.
