‘KILLED’ highlights true bombshell stories axed by the media for being too risky to report
A great story has the unparalleled power to inform, advocate, and even change the world. What happens to bombshell stories that get tanked before hitting the press? Audiochuck’s “KILLED” highlights true stories that the media axed or buried after deeming them unsuitable or too risky to report.
In this series, Justine Harman chats with journalists and other key players from the frontlines of each story’s drama and examines publications’ ultimate decisions to publish or scrap writers’ work. Some of these stories you might already be familiar with after they were killed from their original publication, as they were published or leaked by a different medium.
From a gossip blogger’s revelations to McCarren Park’s infamous pool parties in Brooklyn and a Gore Vidal essay that seemed too contentious to publish, “KILLED” is resurrecting dead stories in each standalone episode running less than 33 minutes on average. The series is sharing juicy information, deception, and the factors that led to killing each story as told by writers, publishing insiders, and many more guests.
The first episode discussed Esquire tanking an exposé on director Bryan Singer’s sexual misconduct allegations. You’ll hear from the story’s writers (Maximillian Potter and Alex French) and insight from writer/editor Bruce Handy. Scott Anderson and Gabriel Snyder explored GQ’s decision to bury a story about Vladimir Putin in episode 2.
One week before John Wayne Gacy’s execution, journalist Nancy Rommelmann drove across the country with the serial killer’s pen pal to meet the criminal in person. Episode 3 spoke with Nancy about her experiences and how this story was received.
In episode 7, you’ll learn that New York assigned a story meant to clear convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. We’ll hear from Alex Yablon, the fact checker who killed the story. On another episode, Stephanie Foo and Aaron Reiss recount the time that “This American Life” stopped a story that revealed a secret in New York’s Chinatown.
The original story behind the podcast “The Shrink Next Door,” also adapted for TV in 2021, was canned by The New York Times – investigating a manipulative psychiatrist who preyed on trusting patients. Episode 5 features the story’s author Joe Nocera and magazine/newspaper editor Hugo Lindgren.
Fans of “Missing Pages,” a series uncovering details from the book and media publishing worlds, might also enjoy “KILLED.” This podcast is now streaming wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
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