Publishing giant News Corp Australia has launched True Crime Australia – a definitive destination for true crime stories.
True Crime Australia leverages News Corp’s network of investigative journalists and its breadth and depth of archival resources to meet Australia’s increasing fascination with true crime stories.
From convicts to present day, True Crime Australia will feature crimes and criminals that have helped shape Australian society told in news reads, multi-part specials, book extracts, podcasts and exclusive behind-the-scenes material, much of which has never been told before.
Kathy Lipari, executive editor of News360 at News Corp Australia, said: “Whether it’s fear or fascination, an increasing number of people love nothing more than a gripping read of cold cases, crimes and criminals in our community, and stories of our criminal history.
“Our expert crime writers will dive into the unsolved cases that have baffled investigators and left communities searching for answers for years.”
Lipari said News Corp investigative journalists work passionately and tirelessly because something compels them to uncover the truth.
“This relentless commitment to devoting countless hours to interviewing, questioning, researching and crafting the story behind the crime proudly showcases the role of our mastheads and investigative journalism in keeping our communities informed and our people safe,” she said.
“True Crime Australia will take readers behind the police tape to get the facts and search for answers.”
News Corp’s crime writers headlining True Crime Australia include:
- Charles Miranda, News360.
- Andrew Rule and Keith Moor, Herald Sun and Sunday Herald Sun.
- Mark Morri and Janet Fife-Yeomans, The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph.
- Kate Kyriacou from The Courier-Mail and The Sunday Mail.
- Sean Fewster and Nigel Hunt, The Advertiser and The Sunday Mail.
The new standalone site will be complemented by dedicated true crime sections on all metro mastheads curating print, digital and broadcast content from News Corp’s network of journalists who investigated or recalled the crimes that both shocked and shaped the nation.
Geo-locating technology will be used to promote relevant stories to specific audiences.
Miranda, who has been appointed national editor of True Crime Australia, said: “The true crime genre has always been popular but never more so than now as there is a blur between fact and fiction.
“You watch TV or films and you see these horrific crimes or gut-wrenching tragedies, and it’s often not clear what is true life, what has been inspired by true events or completely made up by Hollywood.
“Audiences want to know the truth and would sooner follow a real-life crime. There is always that thought the nightmare could happen to them or someone they love.”
Supporting the launch of the new site and News Corp’s true crime product offering will be a creative print and digital ad campaign through all News Corp metro mastheads; 15 and 30-second TV ads targeting crime programming; a digital marketing, social media and PR campaign; and supporting editorial.
The campaign creative shifts between concepts which are journalistic-led, criminally-led, and fact or quiz-led, drawing people in through the use of compelling imagery and text.
The ads cleverly share an investigative journalist’s mindset and why they are relentless in searching for the truth, using instantly recognisable faces of crime, shocking images and statistics to engage readers, urging them to find out more at True Crime Australia.
