A podcast with unprecedented social impact
Desperate cries for help
As I prepare for my workweek as a court reporter, I comb through the hearing schedules of the 11 district courts and four courts of appeal in the Netherlands. Every week, I come across multiple criminal cases where a man is on trial for killing his wife.
A young man who stabbed his wife 200 times shortly after she gave birth, leaving their baby next to her body. A man who chained his wife to a heating pipe. A man who broke down his ex-partner’s apartment door in the middle of the night and shot her in the head. A man who strangled his wife and then tried to set her on fire.
These women all had one thing in common: they had ended or wanted to end their relationships. Most had suffered abuse, stalking or threats. And almost all had sought help from the police, social services or the justice system – without success. And then it was too late.
“We deliberately chose a podcast format because audio doesn’t just communicate facts – it conveys emotion and urgency”
There were so many cases that I had no choice but to dig deeper. My proposal found fertile ground with editor-in-chief from De Telegraaf Kamran Ullah. I formed a team with podcast producer Marieke Mager, co-host Wilson Boldewijn and experienced talk show editor Kelly Valk. We spoke with experts, police officers, a prosecutor, a forensic psychologist, a professor and lawyers.
But most importantly, we spoke with survivors of attacks by their ex-partners, with the loved ones of women who were no longer able to tell their own stories, and even with a perpetrator who had severely abused two consecutive partners. Fortunately, he hadn’t killed them – but, as he admitted, that wasn’t thanks to him.
De moord op mijn vader (My Father’s Murder): gripping true crime
The eight-part true crime podcast ‘De moord op mijn vader’ (My Father’s Murder) tells the true story of the murder of Gerard Meesters. The 52-year-old teacher from Groningen was shot dead in the doorway of his home on 28 November 2002 in a cold-blooded execution by an international drug cartel. Through testimonies from family members, we discover that the victim’s sister had become entangled in the cartel. She fled the gang, who went looking for her and ended up at her brother Gerard’s house, with fatal consequences.
Dagblad van het Noorden journalists Liselotte Schüren and Jeroen Kelderman provide a unique reconstruction of the brutal murder. They follow the years-long struggle of Gerard’s children, Koen and Annemarie, who have been fighting for justice for more than 20 years. The case came back into the spotlight in November 2024 with the trial of Robert Dawes, a British drug lord suspected by Dutch authorities of ordering the gruesome murder.
'De moord op mijn vader' not only offers a terrifying look at the devastating impact of organised crime but also tells a powerful story of human resilience and the tireless quest for justice. The result is journalism that touches, informs and connects.
The combination of a compelling narrative style, in-depth investigative journalism by journalist Rob Zijlstra and emotional testimonies resonated massively with listeners. The podcast was listened to more than half a million times within three months of its launch.
Illusion of progressive society
These stories deserved more than just statistics and case files. We deliberately chose a podcast format because audio doesn’t just communicate facts – it conveys emotion and urgency. The voices of survivors, loved ones and experts add layers of depth that written text alone cannot always capture.
“The eight-episode podcast hit like a bombshell. Suddenly, the term ‘femicide’ was being used in courtrooms”
Our investigation made me realise that the belief we live in a progressive, gender-equal country is an illusion. Yes, on paper, men and women have equal opportunities. In reality, women still earn less than men for the same work. Women’s health issues are often overlooked because male symptoms are considered the standard. And women who try to report abuse, threats or stalking to police are routinely dismissed with: “Well, ma’am, if he hasn’t done anything, there’s nothing we can do.”
Not done anything? Abuse, threats and stalking are all criminal offences. There is a deep undercurrent of sexism in our society that results in women not being taken seriously. That is shocking – because it costs a woman her life every eight to 10 days. In fact, femicide claims more victims than organised crime.
Killing Edgar: the story of a shocking murder
On 7 December 1983, Edgar Graham, a promising young lawyer and unionist politician, was murdered by the IRA at just 29 years old. This shocking crime occurred in broad daylight, leaving a profound impact on Northern Ireland. Edgar Graham was recognised as a brilliant thinker and a potential future leader of the Ulster Unionist Party. Forty years later, Belfast Telegraph journalist Sam McBride brought his story back into focus through a compelling podcast.
The two-part documentary Killing Edgar: The IRA murder of the lawyer Edgar Graham delves into Edgar’s life and legacy, and the unresolved questions surrounding his death. Why did the IRA target him? Was he betrayed by a colleague? What political role could he have played in Northern Ireland’s future? Sam interviewed Edgar’s friends and colleagues, including Dermot Nesbitt, who was standing beside him when he was shot and who revisited the site of the murder for the first time in the podcast.
Sam McBride: “Podcasting is an intimate medium which resonates with a different audience to those who buy newspapers. The podcast took months of work and navigated legally difficult territory, but some 40 years later it included the vivid recollections of some of those who knew Edgar best – and who demonstrably still mourn the passing of a young academic cut down in cold blood because of his political beliefs.”
The podcast is not only a profound piece of journalism but also a tribute to a young academic murdered for his political convictions. The project – which was produced by Ciarán Dunbar with sound design by Graham Davidson – received a Silver Award in the News Documentary/Special category at the New York Radio Awards, where it was also a finalist in the Investigative Report category.
Giving a voice to an unseen issue
Each strangled, stabbed, shot or beaten woman is treated as an isolated incident. In reality, they are symptoms of a larger pattern of gender inequality in our society.
Even high-profile cases – like that of 16-year-old Hümeyra, who was shot dead by her ex-boyfriend in front of her classmates at her school in Rotterdam – fail to bring real change. That day, she had been due to file her fifth police report against him. I watched as people expressed shock and outrage, as yet another investigation was launched, which – predictably – revealed what had gone wrong. And I watched as that report was placed on top of a pile of previous reports in a desk drawer. Without anything changing.
Auslese: spontaneous literary criticism
Especially in uncertain times, we are drawn to stories: fictional or true stories, stories that take us to fantasy worlds, enrich our knowledge or comfort us. The literature podcast Auslese from Aachener Zeitung has been providing insights into the contemporary literary world for a year and a half, through the newspaper’s website and on popular podcast platforms.
Once a month, editor-in-chief Thomas Thelen and journalist Andrea Zuleger discuss a novel they select based on previews offered by publishers. The conditions: the novel must be contemporary and the author well-known enough to ensure sufficient reach. With audio manager Peter Engels, Thomas and Andrea spend 20 minutes discussing their reading experience, the author and the themes of the book: love, betrayal, friendship or childhood. At the end of each conversation, they mention a few other new releases.
Thomas and Andrea choose not to discuss the topics of the recording beforehand. In fact, they often don’t even know if the other liked the book. This approach proves successful because it ensures spontaneity and liveliness in the conversation, which is always recorded in one take and edited as little as possible.
That is precisely what we exposed in Zij is van mij (She Belongs to Me). The eight-episode podcast hit like a bombshell. Suddenly, the term “femicide” was being used in courtrooms. My inbox was flooded with messages from women fearing for their lives, desperately seeking help.
I am not a social worker. I can’t make a difference in that way. But with this podcast, we gave a voice to something that needed to be said. And the microphone proved to be a powerful weapon. Requests for interviews and invitations poured in – from police departments, public prosecutors’ offices, support organisations, mayors and politicians who wanted to hear about our findings.
At first, I thought: This is absurd. You should be telling me how things work, not the other way around. But I seized the opportunity. Whenever I can, I make time in my workweek to give lectures about femicide. The more attention, the better. Winning a Dutch Podcast Award for Zij is van mij helped amplify the message. But we are far from done.
