How can we engage with and consume True Crime while still respecting victims and family members of victims of heinous incidents?

My entire life, I have grown up and gained an interest in the genre we call "True Crime." In more recent years we have conducted discussion about sensitivity involving these crimes, especially those involving very well-known serial killers. Since having experienced a tragedy such as my own, my interest has only grown higher in this genre, for the sake of gaining knowledge on how others solved the crimes against their loved ones. My mother and I watch these shows in hopes to empathize with other human beings who have had their loved ones torn away from them, as well as hoping to shed light on what may find my father's assailant.

Rotten Mango, a YouTube show by Stephanie Soo has been one of our favorites to watch. Not only does she cover the incidents reflected in each episode in extreme detail, but uses her platform to uplift and donate to organizations that help affected family members and even children suffering in war zones. I really appreciate the fact that she goes above and beyond to contact family members for their own personal stories and attempts to have the most accurate knowledge on the scene, down to the hours some of these incidents occurred. Stephanie also frequently utilizes the FOIA act to release court documents that give us better insight on how the justice system has handled these cases, and let's be real: sometimes our justice system doesn't.

Regarding the last year and a half, I have found myself in the debate of how I would feel, God forbid my father's case is interesting enough to Dateline or some other crazy-big show, to see the story played out on national television. I would hope that my family would be contacted first and yet, I'm learning that lots of these stories are only told from one side or, even worse, a fictional movie director. Consuming content regarding True Crime should certainly first be heard from the victims, and never glorify a killer, but directors are there to make a profit, not a connection with a grieving family.

What are your thoughts and feelings? Do you have a personal story of one of your family's victims or survivors being turned into a national story? Have you ever had to clarify or de-bunk any nonsense due to misinformation spread by others regarding a headlining incident?