Jared Savage and Steve Braunias explore the art of crime writing in Aotearoa. Rob Kidd chairs this highlight of 2021's Dunedin Writers & Readers Festival.

Three journalists experienced in true-crime writing - Jared Savage, Steve Braunias and Rob Kidd - discuss the ethical and practical issues of their craft.

Steve Braunias disagrees with what he describes as the "pointy-headed criticism" that it is intrinsically voyeuristic and exploitative, while Jared Savage talks about how door-knocking can unlock the pent-up desire of those affected by crime to tell their stories.

Both of them praise the success of the reporter Caroline Meng-Yee.

Listen to Jared Savage and Steve Braunias explore the art of crime writing in Aotearoa with Rob Kidd at the 2021 Dunedin Writers & Readers Festival:

Steve Braunias:

People do seem to be attracted to crime writing and crime stories. Netflix wouldn't exist without it. Newspapers wouldn't exist without it, really. And the reason we publish these stories and we write about them as journalists is that people like to read about them. I don't think that's a trivial or sordid exchange.

I think people like to read about crime stories not because it's a voyeuristic opportunity. There's a really disgraceful page online at Te Ara, the National Library encyclopedia of New Zealand, and it's written by some snob at Waikato University talking about media reporting of crime. It's a "voyeuristic pursuit, and the public should be ashamed for reading it."

I say, "No. I don't think the public should be ashamed for reading it." I think that we're attracted to crime stories in this country because we want to know what goes on in our community. I think there's a huge amount of empathy which goes on when we read these stories.

The standard for this would be two or three years ago with the really sad tragedy of Grace Millane. The story began when she went missing and her face was on the front page of every paper and the beginning of every news bulletin on TV: "Where is Grace?" Everyone in this country was just hoping like hell that it would be found and that she would be ok. Her body was found and it wasn't ok.

The way we felt about that was genuine sorrow and concern for her. And I think that carried over into the reading about her trial. The same reason people read true crime stories is the same reason we write about them. They have an emotional resonance and an emotional depth to them.

Robb Kidd:…

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details