In the Dark (podcast)

In the Dark is a podcast produced by American Public Media. Hosted and narrated by Madeline Baran, the series features investigative journalism and in-depth reportage from APM Reports, the investigative reporting and documentary unit of APM."APM investigative unit announces podcast series on Wetterling case," from Minnesota Public Radio, 8/29/2016 The 10-episode first season, which explored the kidnapping/murder of Jacob Wetterling, was released between September and December 2016. Season 2, which will explore a different case, is scheduled to be released in Spring 2018.
==Series overview==
Season 1 of In the Dark explored the case of Jacob Wetterling, an 11-year-old boy from St. Joseph, Minnesota who was kidnapped and murdered on the night of October 22, 1989. Wetterling's case went unsolved for 27 years until his remains were discovered in a pasture near Paynesville, Minnesota on September 1, 2016. The location was revealed by Danny Heinrich, a long-time person of interest in the abduction of another boy, Jared Scheierl, in the nearby town of Cold Spring. On September 6, 2016, Heinrich admitted to kidnapping and murdering Wetterling as well as the abduction and sexual assault of Scheierl.Williams, Brandt, "Heinrich confesses to taking, killing Jacob Wetterling," from Minnesota Public Radio, 9/6/2016. Heinrich would be sentenced on November 21, 2016 to a 20-year prison term for a federal child pornography charge."'Truly sorry for my evil acts': Jacob Wetterling's killer gets 20 years," from Minnesota Public Radio, 11/21/2016
Production on In the Dark had been underway for 9 months and was in its final stages (it was scheduled to premiere on September 13, 2016) by the time Wetterling's remains were discovered and Heinrich confessed to the crime. The developments, which host/lead reporter Madeline Baran and the APM Reports team were not expecting ahead of time,"In the Dark Host Madeleine Baran Explains How the Year's Best True-Crime Podcast Was Made," from Esquire, 11/7/2016 prompted them to re-edit and re-record the first two episodes (at least the first of which was already finished) and move up their release to September 7, one day after Heinrich's court appearance."Missing a Murderer: In the Dark Is Not Your Typical True-Crime Podcast," from Vulture.com, 9/15/2016
The edits to the first two episodes of In the Dark turned out to be minimal, for by then, the reporting team's focus wasn't so much about who may have been responsible for Jacob Wetterling's disappearance but more about the investigation of the crime and its effects on the community. The team focused on systemic failures in the Wetterling investigation, in particular how the Stearns County Sheriff's Office handled not only the case but other similar cases. (The department's lack of transparency was partial inspiration for the series' title.) The broader impact of the case was also explored, including the impact on the immediate Stearns County area (Jacob's parents, Jerry and Patty Wetterling, are extensively featured) as well as its national implications, including the establishment of a federal law, named in Jacob's honor, that requires states to implement and contribute to registries that track sex offenders and crimes against children. As Madeline Baran admitted to Esquire, with In the Dark, as opposed to other true crime podcasts such as Serial, "We [APM Reports] didn't see ourselves as playing the role of detective in the case. We saw ourselves as investigating the investigation."
Season 2 of In the Dark, slated to be released in the spring of 2018, will not re-explore the Jacob Wetterling case. APM has been rather coy about exactly what will be covered, only indicating on the program's website that Season 2 "will expose long-hidden actions by powerful people that have caused great harm."In the Dark Season 2 preview
==Episode summary==
==Awards==
In the Dark was honored in Spring 2017 with a Peabody Award, with the award's governing body applauding the program for its "immaculate storytelling talent and journalistic precision" in its investigation into the investigation of the Jacob Wetterling case as well as its "deftly incisive" way of telling the human side of the case and its broader policy implications.In the Dark on PeabodyAwards.com (accessed 1/12/2018)
== References ==
==External links==
*Official website
*In The Dark on Spotify
*Spotify Light Mode
Category:2016 podcast debuts
Category:English-language podcasts
Category:Audio podcasts
Category:Investigative journalism
Category:American talk radio programs
Category:American Public Media programs
Category:Peabody Award-winning radio programs
Category:Crime podcasts