‘I felt like things were missing’: Minnesota podcaster aims to make true crime more victim-centered

A Pew Research study finds that 34 percent of U.S. adults who listen to podcasts say they regularly listen true crime podcasts. A Minnesota-made podcast is taking that genre in a different direction.

Minnesota high school debate coach and wedding photographer Celisia Stanton noticed many wildly popular true crime podcasts seemed to ignore some of the systemic issues plaguing the criminal justice system, mainly when it’s related to race. Stanton learned firsthand what the “justice” in “criminal justice” really meant when, in the middle of the pandemic she became the victim of a huge financial scheme that defrauded her of tens of thousands of dollars.

Her podcast, “Truer Crime” aims to tackle some of the systemic issues related to race, victims and sexuality in the criminal justice system. The second season launched on Monday.

Stanton joined Minnesota Now to talk about the podcast’s success and the season two launch party, which is 7 p.m. on Thursday at Plymouth Congregational Church in Minneapolis.