Repository logo

Browsing by Author "Lillebuen, Steve"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    The devil's cinema: the untold story behind Mark Twitchell's kill room
    (2013) Lillebuen, Steve
    On the night of October 10, 2008, Johnny Altinger was heading to his first date with a woman he had met online. He was never seen again. Two weeks earlier, aspiring filmmaker Mark Twitchell, a young father with a devotion to the television series Dexter, began a three-day shoot for his latest short film. His horror story featured a serial killer who impersonates women on an online dating site to lure unsuspecting men to his suburban kill room. But was his script actually the blueprint for a real-life murder? And what of Twitchell's other writings, including the elaborate and shocking document titled "S. K. Confessions"? Was it a work of fiction or a diary detailing his dark transformation into a would-be serial killer? A powerfully gripping narrative, The Devil's Cinema is the definitive account of the notorious "Dexter Killer," a case and trial that captured the world's attention. Steve Lillebuen takes us deep into the extraordinary police investigation and the lives of everyone involved, while unveiling never-before-revealed details, all drawn from extensive and exclusive interviews -- including months of contact with the killer himself.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    The new civic journalism? An examination of Canadian public libraries as community news sources during the 2019 and 2021 federal election
    (2023) Lillebuen, Steve; Shamchuk, Lisa
    Background: This article examines to what extent Canadian public libraries participate in civic journalism at a time when news media coverage is declining in many communities. This pilot study was prompted by reports that public libraries in the United States were undertaking civic-minded journalism following the closure of community newspapers. Analysis: A content analysis of 64 Canadian public library websites found nearly a dozen examples of basic news reporting or civic-minded journalism initiatives (basic reporting, n = 8; civic, n = 3) published during the 2019 and 2021 federal election campaigns. This article also articulates and explains the shared goals and philosophy of the civic journalism movement and the mandate of public libraries.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Suspect identified: revisiting naming practices in crime coverage
    (2016) Lillebuen, Steve; Lidberg, Johan; Chubb, Philip
    This study examines the media's practice of revealing the names of criminal suspects, particularly before charges have been laid. The paper, which uses a content analysis of police stories in two major newspapers in the Australian state of Victoria, shows the practice is commonplace. But as media naming practices extend into online publishing, as observed in this study, unproven police suspicions are given global publicity, causing reputational damage. This paper argues that naming should be considered a significant ethical issue, and one with increasing relevance in the digital age.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    ‘What will the lawyers say?’: Australian newsroom perspectives on journalism ethics and naming criminal suspects in a digital world
    (2024) Lillebuen, Steve; Lidberg, Johan
    This article examines journalism ethics and identifying criminal suspects in Australian news coverage. This study builds off our previous research, which established that naming is so commonplace, it is occurring on a daily basis in the state of Victoria, even in cases with little public interest justification. A survey of 410 Australian news media professionals, as well as twelve semi-structured interviews, found journalists believe naming is an ethical decision, but it is not high on their agenda with naming treated as their default position. Media lawyers play a key role in newsroom naming practices with the legal strongly influencing what is deemed ethical. These findings are significant because it is the first empirical data from Australia and the findings are in stark contrast with news reporting practices in other countries. This article argues for stronger ethical guidelines in a digital news media environment where naming is now global and forever.