Originally published in The Tribune's Weekend section on January 15.
SERIAL is the podcast that got
everyone
talking about podcasts. Its first series, a little over a year
ago,
put the spotlight on the murder of student Hae Min Lee in
Baltimore.
Week by week, host Sarah Koenig and her team examined different
aspects of the case – and it was utterly gripping.Millions of people listened in – tens
of millions even – as the team carefully dissected the evidence in
the case, the alibi and trial of Adnan Syed who was jailed for the
murder, and the possible other people who may have been suspects.
This was a true-life story, of course,
and not a made-for-TV tale with neatly rounded off edges and a
definite finale. Each episode was intense as listeners weighed
what
the team had to find and there was a constant ebb-and-flow through
the show of did he do it? Didn't he?
Needless to say after being such a
success, the show has returned with a second series – with a
different subject this time, but rather than a little known case,
they have instead picked one of the highest profile cases in the
US –
that of Bowe Bergdahl.
Sgt Bowe Bergdahl is an American
soldier. He was stationed in Afghanistan in 2009 but went missing
and
was captured by the Taliban, who held him prisoner for five years.
Last year, his release was announced by President Obama in
exchange
for five detainees from Guantanamo Bay. Initially celebrated, his
release was however quickly questioned by some members of the
military, who claimed he had deserted, and that he put the lives
of
fellow soldiers at risk who went to search for him. He is now
facing
court-martial on charges of desertion and misbehaviour before the
enemy, charges which were laid against him after the start of the
second season of Serial.
Koenig is a very engaging host – and
very perceptive. She notes the difference in tones of voice
between
members of Bergdahl's family, she observes the reactions of
various
interviewees and that helps to place the investigation in context.
Rather than simply reporting the speech and the facts, her side
notes
let us know for example how rare a charge of misbehaviour before
the
enemy is, and helps to remind us that there's always more than one
side to the story.
This series also sees involvement from
Mark Boal, screenwriter of Zero Dark Thirty and The Hurt Locker,
whose production company is working separately on a movie.
The second episode of the new series
takes that exploration to a new level, as Koenig contacts the
Taliban
to get their opinion of Bergdahl and of his five years in
captivity.
Bergdahl's case became a cause celebre
last year – and his name became a political punchbag, with Donald
Trump for example suggesting he should have been executed. With
his
case now proceeding alongside the developing US election campaign,
he
is sure to reappear in the political spotlight. But Serial is
taking
a very deliberate, very careful examination of who this soldier
is,
how he got into a situation where things got out of control – and
what blame can really be attached to him. It's a fascinating
listen –
and it's only four episodes in.
As of this week, the podcast moves to a bi-weekly schedule. Serial producer Julie Snyder told The New York Times that the bi-weekly schedule became necessary after more people came forward to talk, opening up "more avenues of reporting".
Website: www.serialpodcast.org
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