Media Coverage of True Crime: Highway of Tears

The ‘Highway of Tears’ is a stretch of highway in northern BC, famous for the many women that have gone missing in its vicinity. Officially, the RCMP report 18 victims, however, locals suspect there are many, many more, the majority being of aboriginal heritage.

Although aboriginal communities have been trying to being more attention to the indigenous women who go missing near Highway of Tears, nearly almost all of the CBS 48 Hours Mystery on the Highway of Tears was focused on two white women. This could be because, at the time, Madison Scott and Loren Leslie were the most recent victims. However, in a documentary whose purpose is to report on the Highway of Tears, there should have been more focus on all the victims. What’s even more strange is the fact that Madison Scott—who is the focus of nearly half the documentary—isn’t even an official victim of the Highway of Tears. It is clear that the reporters wanted to tell her story, the mystery of her disappearance and the circumstances around it make for an enthralling and emotional story, but it’s doubtful that none of the other women would have the same impact.

The fact that the majority of this documentary focuses on two white women only serves to reinforce the aboriginal communities’ belief that racism is playing a part in the government and media’s response to the missing women. While it is doubtful that the reporters who put together the 48 Hours Mystery documentary were trying to be discriminatory, they knew what would sell to their audience and went with that, rather than trying to challenge the status quo.

True crime shows attract the attention of many. We all have a sense of morbid curiousity, and we seek to understand the “why” behind the unfathomable acts we see. They offer a different perspective on the violence and gore that is often glamourized on fictional programs. They play on our fear of violent crime without putting us in any real danger, and they allow us to get a behind the scenes look at how our justice system works, sometimes giving us the chance to play detective. Although appealing to many, it seems the primary audience for true crime shows is women. The main reason for this being that women are often themselves victims of the types of violent crimes portrayed in true crime, watching others go through dangerous encounters gives them a sense of power and control over their own situations. The more they know about crime, the safer they feel.

True crime garners the attention it does for many reasons, but mainly because the people watching are getting something out of it. Whether that be information about how to stay safe or about how investigations work, an emotional connection with the victims, something to theorize about with friends, or simply entertainment—because violence is entertaining.

Clearly, the creators of the 48 Hours Mystery felt that focusing the attention on Madison Scott and Loren Leslie would be more appealing to their audience than focusing on the native women. Perhaps they felt that Madison Scott’s and Loren Leslie’s stories were the most likely to get their viewers emotionally engaged in the story—if their audience is made up of mainly white women, then they could be the ones they identify with the most. Also, the fact that Loren was only 15 likely struck a chord with most audiences. However, the depth with which they reported on their stories far outweighed the rest of the victims of the Highway of Tears. Intentionally or not, the message they conveyed was that certain victims were more important than others.