On January 13th 1999 the murder of Hae Min Lee took place. For all of these years Adnan Syed has been charged with the murder of Hae and in the Podcast “Serial” they debate and try to figure out if he is guilty or not guilty.
Personal Opinions on the Podcast
This podcast was so informative and is personally one of my favourite ways to learn. One of the only cons of listening rather than reading is that you cant go back or “highlight” specific information. Podcasts involve a story or topic where everything can be laid out for you. This episode was spoken by Sarah Koenig and she was able to capture my attention throughout the whole episode. In journalism, I think podcasts could be seen as bias. Strictly because you are hearing the persons voice and their emotions can come through more in words.
Concerns After Listening to the Podcast
Overall Sarah covered a huge amount of information and I felt well educated on the topic. I couldn’t help but to feel slightly uneasy though. The stories from Jay and Asia completely contradict each other leaving the listener still wondering if Adnan was ever guilty. The aspect of memory was something that never came to my mind. At the beginning the boys Sarah was talking to didn’t even remember what happen the Friday before. So how are the police supposed to trust Jay completely with his story. The police thought they had enough information to charge Adnan with murder but if Asia brought up the letters maybe an innocent man could of been set free. It is upsetting to know that some people will be put in jail for crimes that they did not commit all because of a lack of evidence.
Private Case gone Public
The Baltimore case gained so much attention because of this podcast and I can’t think about how much that effected the family and the case overall. A report from the Guardian talked about the family and how the case doesn’t just effect Adnan. The trauma that the family faced was awful. Thousands of people knew who he was and what he had possibly done and since Adnan was not in contact with the world, his family got the backlash. However because of the publicity this case received maybe it will lead to more thorough investigations in the future.
Conclusion
Overall I think that this episode of Serial told the story and unraveled the mystery about who was really guilty. It went over all of the information but left me wanting to learn more. I personally think that podcasts are a great and intriguing way to learn. I would love to hear your comments on the topic!
References
Development, PodBean. “Serial Podcast: Free Listening on Podbean App.” Www.podbean.com, http://www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/zvpas-2ef3c/Serial-Podcast.
Heller, Corinne. “Serial’s Adnan Syed Denied New Trial, Upholds Murder Conviction.” E! Online, E! News, 8 Mar. 2019, http://www.eonline.com/news/923968/serial-s-adnan-syed-to-get-new-trial-court-upholds-decision-overturning-murder-conviction.
Ronson, Jon. “Serial: The Syed Family on Their Pain and the ‘Five Million Detectives Trying to Work out If Adnan Is a Psychopath’.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 7 Dec. 2014, http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2014/dec/07/serial-adnan-syed-family-podcast-interview.
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