Narrative policies in nonfictional audio productions on crimes against women

Abstract

This article addresses the growing production of nonfiction podcasts, aiming to critically analyze the aesthetic, ethical, and political aspects involved in such works. With the rise of audio productions that self-identify as “journalistic” or “investigative,” there is an expanding space for the circulation of audio reports or documentaries that seek to participate in the narrative genre known as true crime. In light of this contemporary circulation phenomenon, which involves both creators and audiences, the text seeks to discuss the ethical and aesthetic parameters mobilized by these productions, as well as the role of the political within their narratives. As an analytical focus, the study selects three journalistic productions that investigate crimes against women committed during the Brazilian civil-military dictatorship, emphasizing the stories of three victims of gender-based violence (Ângela Diniz, Leila Cravo, and Cláudia Lessin Rodrigues), whose experiences are transformed into characters in the podcasts Praia dos Ossos (2020), by Rádio Novelo; Leila (2022), by Globoplay; and O Caso (Últimos Passos) (2023), by Criatura Multimídia.