True crime has become one of the most popular genres across platforms, series, documentaries and podcasts. Events that took place years ago have once again been thrust into the media spotlight through productions which blend information and entertainment. But this phenomenon has also sparked a debate: to what extent is reporting driven by public interest, and at what point does it become sensationalism?
Lecturers and researchers Maria Fitó and Núria Roca address this question in the article Ethical-journalistic treatment of true crime in the Spanish press: the Guardia Urbana and Nemo cases. The study explores how the Spanish press covered two cases that had significant media impact and which, years later, resurfaced thanks to true crime productions.
The Guardia Urbana case (2017) has inspired podcast episodes, the documentary Rosa Peral’s Tapes and the fictional series Burning Body, both available on Netflix. In the Nemo case (also known as the Gabriel case), the child’s mother succeeded in halting the production of a true crime documentary.
According to the authors of the article, such productions often reactivate cases that had faded from media headlines, once again exposing both the victims and their families. They also raise a legal controversy over which fundamental rights should prevail: the protection of a victim’s honour, privacy and image, or the public’s right to information.
A less rigorous approach to the protection of minors
One of the key findings of the research is that the media coverage was not consistent across both cases: the study concludes that reporting was less rigorous in the Nemo case, despite being a crime involving a minor. The percentage of ethical violations was more than double: 15.1%, versus the 6.5% recorded in the Guardia Urbana case. The researchers highlight two key principles that were not upheld in the coverage of the Gabriel Cruz case: protecting the minor’s privacy and avoiding identifying the victim by name.
Specifically, the study finds that respect for minors’ privacy was breached in all news articles analysed on the Nemo case. Furthermore, in 97.3% of the reports, the victim was directly identified, either by full name or through the nickname used in the media's coverage of the events.
Sensationalism and clickbait
Another aspect analysed in the study was the sensationalist press coverage. According to the article, many media outlets use clickbait-like strategies to capture readers’ attention, prioritising emotional impact over informational value. In the Guardia Urbana case, over 63% of the news articles examined used clickbait headlines. The researchers noted that the scope of many news reports extended beyond the facts of the crime, focusing instead on personal details or aspects of the private lives of those involved.
To conduct the research, Maria Fitó and Núria Roca analysed 140 news items published in the most widely read general-interest newspapers in Spain: El País, El Mundo, La Vanguardia, ABC, La Razón, El Periódico and La Voz de Galicia. The analysis was based on 13 variables related to journalistic practice, as outlined in the Code of Ethics of the Federation of Journalists’ Associations of Spain (FAPE) and the European Code of Journalistic Ethics.
The researchers are adamant that the rise of true crime makes it necessary to strengthen ethical boundaries in news coverage, particularly in cases involving minors. The study emphasises the social responsibility of journalists and the need to strike a balance between reporting and respecting privacy. “Journalists should not only be concerned with attracting readers through attention-grabbing strategies, but also consider the relevance, accuracy and social impact of the information they share,” the authors conclude.
