Bad People

104. Dark Arts 1: How biasing is pre-trial publicity?

In December 2010, the UK media became fixated with the disappearance of 25 year-old Joanna Yeates. When her body was discovered, many tabloid newspapers felt certain they knew the identity of her murderer. Christopher Jefferies had been Joanna’s landlord and was considered by some to be “strange”. The claims against Christopher were unfounded. Being hounded by the press left lasting reputational and psychological scars. In this episode of Bad People, Dr Julia Shaw and Sofie Hagen ask: is it possible to have a fair trial when the tabloids have decided you are guilty? They explore research on prejudicial pre-trial publicity as well as “media shock” effects after police issue warnings about a killer on the loose. CREDITS Presenters: Dr Julia Shaw and Sofie Hagen 
Producers: Laura Northedge and Lauren Armstrong-Carter 
Assistant Producer: Hannah Ward 
Editors: Anna Lacey and Richard Collings 
Music: Matt Chandler
Production Coordinator: Jonathan Harris Commissioning Executive: Dylan Haskins 
Commissioning Assistant Producer: Adam Eland #BadPeople_BBC

Criminal psychologist Dr Julia Shaw makes a return to the series with a new co-host: journalist Amber Haque. Each episode tells the story of a true crime and explains why people do bad things. Murder, blackmail, fraud and much more. Listen every Thursday. Bad People is a BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Sounds.