Anita Biressi examines the historical origins and development of true crime and its evolution into distinctive contemporary forms. Embracing a range of non-fiction accounts including true crime books and magazines, law and order television, and popular journalism, Biressi traces how they harness and explore current concerns about law and order, crime and punishment, and personal vulnerability.

"Reality Television" has little to do with reality and everything to do with television form and content. "Reality TV" takes the reality television phenomenon to be a significant movement within documentary and factual programming. This book analyses new and hybrid genres including observational documentaries, talk shows, game shows, docu-soaps, dramatic reconstructions, law and order programming and twenty-four/seven formats such as "Big Brother" and "Survivor," These programs, both popular with audiences and heavily debated in the media; are at the center of heated debates. These discussions focus on tabloidization, media ethics, voyeurism and the representation of the real. Through detailed case studies, this book breaks new ground by linking two major themes together: the production of realism and its relationship to revelation. It addresses 'truth' telling, confession and the production of knowledge about the self and its place in the world within forms that produce new configurations of social and media space.

Why do true crime stories exert such popular fascination? What do they have to say about the fear of crime in the present moment? This book examines the historical origins and development of true crime and its evolution into distinctive contemporary forms. Embracing a range of non-fiction accounts - true crime book and magazines, law and order television, popular journalism - it traces how they harness and explore current concerns about law and order, crime and punishment and personal vulnerability.

"Reality Television" has little to do with reality and everything to do with television form and content. "Reality TV" takes the reality television phenomenon to be a significant movement within documentary and factual programming. This book analyses new and hybrid genres including observational documentaries, talk shows, game shows, docu-soaps, dramatic reconstructions, law and order programming and twenty-four/seven formats such as "Big Brother" and "Survivor," These programs, both popular with audiences and heavily debated in the media; are at the center of heated debates. These discussions focus on tabloidization, media ethics, voyeurism and the representation of the real. Through detailed case studies, this book breaks new ground by linking two major themes together: the production of realism and its relationship to revelation. It addresses 'truth' telling, confession and the production of knowledge about the self and its place in the world within forms that produce new configurations of social and media space.