Podcasts are becoming particularly popular nowadays, and I was wondering why. Didn’t we switch gears from listening to radios to watching television? Isn’t merely listening to someone tell a story through a medium so thirty years ago? Well, a few weeks ago I began listening to a podcast called Serial, a weekly telling of a murder case that occurred about 17 years ago by Sarah Koenig, a journalist. I wondered why I was intrigued about her decision to dig into a case that was “solved” so long ago and listened to her play back interviews, interrogations and countless documents. She revealed new information every week, as people who knew the those involved in the case during the late 1990’s also listened, and appeared on the podcast with their thoughts. I believe that was one of the audiences she targeted: people who could provide additional information to a case full of mysteries and inconsistencies. [ This also lead to numerous investigations of this case around the country]

Similarly, I think this podcast send a larger message, or purpose, that our criminal justice system is extremely flawed. Juries are only allowed to claim the guilt of the defendant if they believe he/she is at fault without reasonable doubt… and look what happened. Minor claims relating to this purpose would be to question unjust rulings, not to give up without a fight, and to be eloquent, concise and truthful if ever involved in a criminal case. Koenig was appealing herself ; it wasn’t her clear voice or extreme intelligence, it was her down-to-earth and honest opinions that listeners could relate to. She didn’t posit Adnan Syed’s innocence from the beginning , she consistently talked about switching opinions about his innocence as new information is revealed.  She seems to be logical, dedicated (this research process took over a year), very resourceful, and modest. It is almost as if she’s the protagonist herself. Without the use of visuals, a constraint, it may be difficult to paint an image in listeners’ minds; however, I think Serial does a great job of that. I believe that with more thorough rhetorical analysis I could dive deeper to encounter more metaphors and form more meaningful connections.