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It’s been a strange year for podcasts. Serial, the original 2014 blockbuster from the United States, was once again in the news when its protagonist, Adnan Syed, was ‘exonerated’ of historic murder charges against him. But Serial’s update episode glossed over the flaws in their original reporting, instead plugging the gaps by rival lawyer-hosted podcast Undisclosed.
In Australia, Teacher’s Favorite gave oxygen to Lynette Dawson’s cold case, but what a judge Named his “biased, sensationalist and inflammatory” style could have caused the eventual convicted killer, Chris Dawson, to escape prosecution.
It was a reminder that podcasts can be at their strongest when they touch on deeply personal material – but that raises high ethical stakes. My 2022 picks handle sensitive content with care and sensitivity.
Read more: Listen to Don’t Call Me Resistant: Our Podcast on Race
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This series provides a satisfying 3D profile of Chinese President Xi Jinping, arguably the most powerful man in the world.
In a startling clip from 1993, his wife Peng Liyuan assured a TV host that her husband was content playing second fiddle to her, a famous pop singer.
Engagingly hosted by Australian-Chinese journalist Xu-Lin Wong, the series draws on strong archival footage and solid interviewing talent, but it’s the structure that shines. Unlike many rambling, self-indulgent podcasts out there, each episode deals with a clearly defined theme, with tight scripting and skillful production helping to weave an enlightening picture of Xi’s unflinching journey from minor official to autocratic leader.
Companion: The King of Kowloon
This podcast by Louisa Lim (who grew up in Hong Kong) and a team from ABC Radio National starts slowly but builds to a moving portrait of Hong Kong’s subversive graffiti artist Tsang Tsou-choi and the struggle of Hong Kongers to avoid being swallowed up by the totalitarian forces of Xi’s China.
SPOILER: in one electrifying moment, Lim crosses the line from journalist to activist. I cheered up.
This extraordinary series by Australian-Hungarian filmmaker Laura Nagy is in part an exploration of an internet community dealing with ASMR (automatic sensory-mediated response, a tingling sense of well-being that can come from whispered voices and sounds). It’s also a throwback to #MeToo and the most searing, merciless memoir, as Nagy details her fractious relationship with her ex-boyfriend, the repulsive Caleb.
Crafted during years of isolation, Pillow Talk captures the sweet digital intimacy that ASMR devotees co-create through audio messages to alleviate loneliness and mental health issues—material masterfully crafted to revolve around Nagy’s story of at times playful, a sometimes harrowing but ultimately inspiring true story.
Companion: Lights Out, intriguing, creative, sound-rich “documentary adventures” from the brilliant indie UK production house Falling Tree. The Saigon Tapes episode is a marvel of editing.
The ultimate family history of the 1970s US radical movement known as The Weather Underground, this podcast is beautifully written by host Zaid Dorn, whose parents declared war on the US government and tried to build a social revolution .
Zeid’s mother, Bernardine Dorn, went from law student to what the FBI called “America’s Most Wanted Woman.” His father, Bill Ayres, moved from being a teacher in preparation for making bombs and fighting the police.
Now a successful playwright and creative writing academic, Zaid isn’t shy about challenging his parents on how they thought they could juggle escapism with raising a child (this). Excellent use of the archive and candid interviews make for a fascinating investigation – though strangely, the emotional register remains mostly low.
Companion: Who Was Michael X is a fascinating portrait of a West Indian-British activist in the UK during the same period who took his name from his American hero, Malcolm X.
Scottish journalist Audrey Gillen (Tara and George, On the Ground) displays her trademark combination of Glasgow courage, empathy and dogged digging for the deeper story in this reappraisal of a murder investigation she worked on as a young reporter in the 1990s .
‘Bible John’ was a serial killer who preyed on working-class women who frequented a Glasgow dance hall in the 1960s. Working with close colleagues, including the writer Andrew O’Hagan, Gillen reveals the nuances of the victims’ lives, overturning the patronizing and misogynistic frames of the modern police and press and restoring women’s full human dignity.
Companion: Bloodguilt examines the chilling story of Richard Burroughs, an ex-Navy sailor who killed himself in Perth in 2014. A post-mortem report says he killed three people, with little legal consequence.
With a finely balanced combination of determination and delicacy, hosts Dan Box (Bowraville) and Kate Wilde (Code of Silence) reveal the racial, class and other prejudices surrounding the victims that prevented their cases from receiving justice.
This cleverly crafted podcast investigates the suspicious death in New York in 1985 of Cuban-American performer Ana Mendieta, who fell from the 34th floor of the apartment she shared with her husband, the sculptor Carl Andre.
Hosted by prominent curator Helen Molesworth, the podcast interrogates themes of power, race and gender in the rich and predominantly white art world, then and now. (Episode 6 is the culmination of the narrative: the following episode rankings present decent but unsurprising data on the lack of diversity in the art world, better presented as website notes.)
Sidekick: For Who is Daniel Johns, host Caitlin Sowry had rare access to the eponymous former Silverchair frontman. She and co-creators Amelia Chappelow and Frank Lopez create a revealing and at times touching portrait of a troubled artist who found fame too young and has struggled to make ends meet ever since.
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