As my pitch details the different methods of collecting information and understanding through research and observation, there will be ethical obligations I will need to consider. “Podcast Ethnography” pointed out the ethical dimensions that should be considered when participating in “ethnographic lurking”, in comparison to its scientific value. Lundström acted as “distant observers” which is a similar role that I will be undertaking.
When viewing a field site from a distance I will need to ensure that the experiences that I will be collecting information on has carefully considered obligations. This will include the exclusion of raw data from individuals inside the Australian true crime podcast community (this is seperate from data gathered from journalist’s articles, as they publish work to be consumed by an audience). By maintaining individuals anonymity, I will be able to place a focus on how the media impacts me and my experiences when exploring the Night Driver Podcast. It will be important to consider all involved in the podcast. For instance if only first names are provided in the podcast for certain individuals, then I will also present them in that manner (this also includes the use of pseudonyms).
Winter and Lavis’ “Looking, But Not Listening? Theorizing the Practice and Ethics of Online Ethnography” outline how “lurking” is more than listening it is participating, as this engages with emotions, multimedia and community context. When presenting resources from news media articles or paraphrasing I will need to ensure I provide sufficient context in order to present a fair analysis. Therefore my blog posts and research project should present personal experiences that are respectful and considerate of these online communities and participants.
Resources:
Lundström, M & T.P. Lundström (2020) “Podcast Ethnography” International Journal of Social Research Methodology
Winter, R & Lavis, A (2020) ” Looking But Not Listening? Theorizing the Practice and Ethics of Online Ethnography” Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics, Vol. 15, pp. 55-62
Pitch image resources:
The Australian – Janine Vaughan
The Australian – The Night Driver
The Australian – Who the Hell is Hamish
Muswellbrook Chronicle – March 2019 for Janine Vaughan’s disappearance
Bees and Bells 
