News Corp Australia continues to expand its True Crime Australia platform with the launch of its latest podcast series, The Mushroom Cook.
Led by the Herald Sun’s investigative team and journalist Brooke Grebert-Craig, ‘The Mushroom Cook’ delves into the incident surrounding what was seemingly an ordinary family lunch in rural Victoria, but ended with the tragic loss of three lives.
The series uncovers the background of the accused, Erin Patterson, who prepared the fatal mushroom meal, and provides an overview of the ongoing court proceedings as Patterson faces trial for murder.
Sam Weir, editor of the Herald Sun, remarked on the significant impact of the story, which has garnered attention not only within Australia, but around the world.
“Since this story broke our team has worked tirelessly to uncover every angle of the police investigation including the accused’s online history and digital footprint, her life on remand in a women’s maximum security prison and the effects of death cap mushrooms,” said Weir.
“Our journalists bring you the details of the alleged victims, the survivors and those working behind the scenes on Australia’s most high-profile murder case.”
Dan Box, NewsCast editorial director, audio, commended the team’s commitment to the story, stating, “The team behind this podcast have worked hard to report on this case with the sensitivity, compassion and rigour such a tragedy deserves.”
“While it is ultimately up to the jury to determine what happened, our team’s approach to this series is in the finest tradition of news reporting and I am proud to have worked with them,” said Box.
The podcast will receive extensive coverage, including interactive digital features and videos across News Corp’s mastheads: the Herald Sun, The Daily Telegraph, The Courier-Mail, and The Advertiser.
The Mushroom Cook will fall under News Corp’s True Crime Australia umbrella, which started in 2018 as a means to utilise its team of investigative journalists and archival resources to capitalise on Australia’s growing interest in true crime stories and attract new subscribers.
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In the current landscape, a recent study, On-Demand Expertise: the Anatomy of Trusted Audio Advisors by News Corp’s the growth-solutions hub The Growth Distillery, shed light on the significant role podcasts play in the daily media consumption habits of Australians.
According to the study, three-quarters of Australian listeners tune in to multiple podcasts each week.
Furthermore, at IAB Australia’s eighth annual Audio Summit in February of this year, neuroscience research from the report Crime Pays: Guide to Understanding True Crime Podcast Audiences and Advertising Opportunities, unveiled the substantial impact of the genre for advertisers and audiences.
The research, created in partnership with IAB Australia and neuro-marketing and neuro-analytics company Neuro-Insight, demonstrated the True Crime genre effectively delivers advertisers’ engagement and memorability, with levels proven to influence consumer decisions and behaviour.
See also: New research shows true crime podcasts are criminally effective for advertisers