Did TikTok Find Gabby Petito, or Exploit Her?
After an aspiring Instagram influencer mysteriously disappeared, she became the TikTok true crime community’s newest obsession.
ICYMI · Slate Podcasts
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Show Notes
While authorities searched for missing 22-year-old Gabby Petito, she was everywhere to be found on TikTok, Reddit, and Instagram. Content creators, some well-intentioned and others simply chasing clout and clicks, turned the story of Gabby’s apparent death into the latest in true crime drama. On today’s show, Madison and Rachelle talk about the murkiness of the true crime internet and the ethics of using tragedy for clicks. They’re joined later in the show by Hayley Toumaian, a TikTok creator and novice true crime podcast host who says the rapid pace of the news genre means sometimes getting things wrong in front of an audience of millions and willfully sharing misinformation.
Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Derek John.
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