In the Dark (September 2016) is an investigative journalism podcast from APM Reports that exemplifies rigorous, impactful reporting—Season 1 exposed FBI failures in Jacob Wetterling abduction case, while Season 2’s investigation of Curtis Flowers’ wrongful conviction helped overturn his case after six trials and 23 years on death row.
Season 1: Jacob Wetterling (2016)
Reporter Madeleine Baran investigated the 1989 abduction of 11-year-old Jacob Wetterling in rural Minnesota—a case unsolved for 27 years. The podcast revealed FBI and local law enforcement incompetence, missed leads, and how the case transformed child safety laws nationwide despite investigation failures.
The season uncovered how Danny Heinrich, a suspect identified early, evaded scrutiny for decades before 2016 confession. The reporting exposed systemic law enforcement failures while documenting the Wetterling family’s advocacy work (including Jacob’s mother Patty’s campaigns for missing children legislation).
Season 2: Curtis Flowers (2018)
The podcast’s second season investigated Curtis Flowers, a Black man tried six times for the same quadruple murder in Winona, Mississippi. Prosecutor Doug Evans pursued Flowers despite weak evidence, using preemptory strikes to exclude Black jurors repeatedly. Baran and team documented Evans’ misconduct, racial bias in jury selection, and how Mississippi’s justice system enabled prosecutorial abuse.
The reporting included year-long investigation, 200+ interviews, and evidence reviews. Episodes revealed: prosecutor’s repeated Constitutional violations, alternative suspects never investigated, testimony inconsistencies, and systemic racism enabling wrongful convictions.
Impact and Exoneration
In the Dark’s investigation prompted national attention. The Supreme Court overturned Flowers’ sixth conviction (2019) in Flowers v. Mississippi, citing racial discrimination in jury selection. The podcast’s evidence influenced justices and public opinion. In 2020, after 23 years imprisoned (six trials, two death sentences, four convictions), charges against Flowers were dropped.
The season demonstrated investigative podcasting’s power to drive real-world justice—not just entertainment but accountability journalism that frees innocent people.
Journalism Standards
Unlike entertainment-first true crime podcasts, In the Dark maintained rigorous journalism standards: document-based reporting, multiple source verification, acknowledging uncertainty, and following evidence regardless of narrative preference. The show proved podcasts could do serious investigative work rivaling newspapers and TV newsmagazines.
APM Reports’ institutional resources (legal support, fact-checkers, archival access) enabled depth impossible for independent podcasters. The show’s success demonstrated public radio’s investigative capacity at a time when local news collapsed.
Season 3: Pandemic Response (2020)
The third season investigated COVID-19’s early spread through Washington state nursing homes, exposing federal and state failures to protect vulnerable populations. The reporting documented preventable deaths and bureaucratic incompetence during crisis.
Awards and Recognition
In the Dark won Peabody Awards (2017, 2020), duPont-Columbia Award, and George Polk Award—journalism’s highest honors. The show’s Season 2 directly contributed to Curtis Flowers’ exoneration, embodying accountability journalism’s purpose.
Sources: APM Reports data, The New York Times, Supreme Court opinion Flowers v. Mississippi, Columbia Journalism Review, Peabody Awards