26 Comments
Sep 20, 2022Liked by Best Evidence

I am a native Baltimorean who currently lives a mile from Woodlawn High School, but I was still living in Montana for another few months at the time of Hae's murder. I am very happy for Adnan and his friends and family. I concluded that he was innocent years ago, and I've consumed everything I could about this case. The Baltimore police are a travesty, and Islamophobia is insidious. I cannot let my relief that Adnan is out cloud my rage that justice has never been done for Hae and her family. I am sure they're reeling; it must be very difficult to accept that this man's life was ruined for no reason, and I am not surprised that they still believe Adnan is guilty. Why should they believe anyone who is part of the system? I wouldn't. But I am optimistic that these new leads will be thoroughly investigated. If only Misty Quigley and her citizen detectives were available. Oh wait... they pretty much are. I just hope the amateurs don't jeopardize any real justice from taking place. I also hope BPD has acquired some decent new detectives.

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Sep 20, 2022Liked by Best Evidence

I don't think it's much of an exaggeration to put this exoneration at the foot of "Serial." To me, this is one of the highest callings of journalism: inform the public, indirectly (and sometimes directly) pushing government officials to do the right thing. Had "Serial" not brought the spotlight on the case, would the re-evaluation have happened? I don't see how, especially given how reticent prosecutor's offices are to admit any error. That doesn't mean that Serial is the acme of true crime journalism, but I think it does mean we'd all be better off with more (trained, careful, actual) reporters making officials explain and defend their decisions.

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I'd like to point out one thing mentioned in today's Serial episode about the two new suspects. One still seems to clearly be "Mr. S." But I think she says that the other is actually in prison currently? I was assuming the other suspect was Don, but he's not in prison, right??

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Sep 20, 2022Liked by Best Evidence

I'm heart broken that someone has spent 23 years of their life behind bars for a crime they were probably innocent of. And that a family, who lost a loved one, is having to be thrust into the spotlight again. I feel very bad for everyone except the police.

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author

I've just finished listening to the update episode -- 17 minutes of...basically nothing you couldn't have picked up from various Twitter threads during the coverage of the hearing yesterday. The most striking thing about it is how much has changed in eight years re: what Koenig and co. are able to do "better" than journos on the ground; this sort of recap, which spends a good 4-5 minutes on interstitial music and description of the courtroom, would probably have seemed fine but now feels flat-footed and superfluous.

This kind of property's strength is access and analysis; I saw little evidence of either, and suspect she wouldn't have bothered but the Times made her. ...idk. I'm not as sour as I may sound on this topic, I swear. But it does seem like, in a world where In The Dark/Baran exists, Serial's laurels aren't as restful as all that. - SDB

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Sep 20, 2022Liked by Best Evidence

I want to post a stupid meme about this case and I can’t. Because I’ve held onto it for, oh, 8 years?? There’s also a great parody of the “Serial” opener that the podcast TBTL did years ago about cereal and it’s so damn funny…and yet, looking at the picture of this poor young woman, who’s gone without justice, and given BPS’s hx…may never receive it. Maybe it’s a great thing I can’t be funny right now.

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founding

I've been considering going back and listening to Serial now to see how it holds up. I think I'm a much more savvy true crime consumer than I was when it first came out and would pick up on its flaws in a way I didn't then. It's also nearly ten years old. The way we look at race and forensics is different now (and that's good). But yes it's hard to under estimate Serial's influence on the true crime industrial complex.

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Sep 21, 2022·edited Sep 21, 2022Liked by Best Evidence

I had to wait all day to get to a real keyboard. Too many thoughts for the phone. I like so many have followed this case avidly from the first time I heard Serial the day it started. I found Crime Writers On, and then Undisclosed, and in 2016 when Susan Simpson put out a call on twitter for volunteer transcribers I was one of the first 4 who happened to respond and we have been doing that work ever since. I say that in interest of full disclosure - if you think I am showing bias definitely call me out!

I think it is just a fact that we would not have had an amazing day like yesterday without Sarah Koenig. Or Rabia obviously, or Susan. But Sarah put it very well this morning in her closing when she said that nothing we know now was unknown or unknowable in 1999 and it still took the system 23 years to self-correct. And there are so many more Adnans. She does have a way with words.

There are more Adnans than I ever dreamed possible, some with even more egregious injustices than Adnan, as any regular listener of Undisclosed knows.

All of these different parties brought their strengths to the table. Sarah is a superb storyteller. She is not a deep investigator. Susan is a superb investigator. Could Susan and Rabia ever have constructed a narrative as compelling as Serial? I know I counted the hours until every new episode of Serial. Only 'In the Dark' has had that effect on me since. Serial's flaws are well documented, even in this very thread, but it took Serial to get the ball rolling.

I don't know if anyone caught Rabia's instagram live - only for Rabia would I watch an instagram live - but in the new year she and Colin are going to have a few episodes on Undisclosed where they go through Serial episode by episode and fill in the gaps with the relevant information. I will withhold judgment till I hear how it turns out, but I don't know...Serial was not trying to be what they want it to be. All I know is that I am overjoyed for Adnan and his family and friends, so very sad for Hae's family, and hope to hell the real killer is having a very bad week.

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When serial first came out I was obsessed. I saw this new this am and feel very similar for his and Haes families.

Would anyone be willing to sum up the flaws mentioned with Serial?

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