There is no victimless crime.

That’s something “true crime” consumers should keep in mind when seeking out television, podcasts, and other “content” about crime. Even decades later, victims, survivors, and family members are still impacted by traumatic events. Thoughtless content can harm them — no matter how long it’s been since the crime. And unfortunately, much of the true crime content that’s available serves primarily to enrich “creators” instead of providing closure to people actually affected by crime.

At NCVC, we know that the true crime genre is here to stay. That’s why we’re encouraging people who want to engage with such content to do so ethically, and only consume content that causes the least amount of harm to victims and their families.

Here are eight simple rules for being an ethical true crime consumer.

Watch our “8 Simple Rules for Being an Ethical True Crime Consumer” panel discussion at CrimeCon 2023 below.