Over the course of this project I have explored and observed the many online resources connected to the Australian true-crime case that investigated the disappearance of Janine Vaughan. Since the release of the Australian’s podcast “The Night Driver”, the case has received an increased amount of online participation, discussion and resources. This increase in activity has provided me with a range of sources to observe to see how audiences choose to interact with each other, their motivations and listening habits as well as their impacts on different platforms. Whilst I am able to compare my own experiences listening to an Australia true-crime podcast, the online activity I observed in reference to the Janine Vaughan case is unfamiliar to me. Although I am an avid listener, I have never taken my interest beyond the podcast app so witnessing the many different interactions or separate sites was intriguing and foreign.
My observations took the form of four blog posts: “Before The Podcast”, “The Beginning of The Podcast”, “During The Podcast” and “After The Podcast”. Each looks at online representation and participation at the different stages of The Night Driver’s release.
Before The Podcast
Each media source offers a different perspective and interaction with the Janine Vaughan case. This is a summary of my initial impression from 5 seperate media sources that were sourced by searching the term “Janine Vaughan” but limiting the results for before 2019.
The Beginning of the Podcast
Just as conversations were about to die down about the Janine Vaughan case on the internet forum Websleuths the release of the Night Driver podcast kicked it back into gear.
As I continually checked out the show on Spotify to see if the first episode had been put up yet, but still nothing. So when scrolling through the Websleuth’s Janine Vaughan forum I was interested to see that others were also discussed why it hadn’t been uploaded yet. Almost like we were all waiting for a “listening party” to begin. And just like that the first episode was uploaded and the weekly episode released has begun.
The 65-minute episode “Sisters” would be enough time to entertain me for two 30 minute walks around my neighbourhood, as I often will stop and start episodes to match whatever I am doing in the day. Which is why I found it interesting to read through members of the Janine Vaughan Websleuth forum discussing their own listening habits. While some members mentioned that they didn’t want to multitask while listening so that they could focus on the facts, yet another said they listened to the first episode through the night as they suffer from insomnia. So while many users shared resources and leads on the case, it was clear that this forum was not strict on limiting the discussion to the case alone.
A shortcoming in the podcast format is being unable to see evidence they are discussing, so in episode 2 “Stalking” I tried to imagine what the handwritten notes that were found by Janine’s father looked like. A voice actor read out snippets from the note which included “it’s not over” and “I’ve missed you”. It wasn’t until a Websleuth user uploaded the original images of the handwritten notes that I began to understand why Janine’s father did not even want to look at them when Hedley Thomas was discussing them. The notes were eerie to say the least, but without interacting with the Websleuth forum I would have seen the notes as an oversight or unimportant.
Being presented with so many different factors that affect the case during the podcast, means that as listeners will also have different ways to select important data that influences our beliefs on what really happened. So while I may use the information to discuss with my sister and debate who we think is involved, others may have more alternative methods. When scrolling through Websleuths I came across a term that I had never heard of before “Chaldean Numerology”. This refers to an ancient system that assigns meanings to numbers, with each number having its own power on someone’s life such as someone’s birthday, or numbers assigned to someone’s name. So what does this have to do with Janine? Well, one user was curious to find out what Janine’s house number was in order to examine the address’ Chaldean Numerology. Turns out Janine’s house number shows troubles with the opposite gender, which is not favourable due to the trials they will face.
So in the same breath that one user shares photo evidence of handwritten notes and the interpretation of certain statements, they also shared the “hidden forces” behind Janine’s house number.
During the Podcast
When looking into the online discourse surrounding the Janine Vaughan disappearance on sites such as Reddit and Websleuths, I noticed different approaches to people’s interest in true crime.
Reddit held more of an international audience, so when users in places such as the US have a strong interest in the case it is interesting to hear their motivations. The topic of “Australian true-crime podcasts” is a separate category from regular “true-crime podcasts”. International audiences seeking podcast recommendations on the topic often comment on their interest in Australian culture, or their intrigue surrounding the weird cases that occur in Australia. While this approach created a separation between the listener and the “foreign” world inside Australia, another section of the audience draws connections between “Australian true-crime” and occurrences in their own country.
A subreddit created to discuss the disappearance of Janine Vaughan had many international comments. Reddit users would comment on cases in their local town that also involved the cover-up of a missing person with an obvious guilty person or issues within their town’s law enforcement.
I always had the assumption that listeners of “Australian true-crime podcasts” were Australians themselves. But after viewing online discussion around the topic, I’ve realised this is not the case. Whether it’s from the fact that the case feels as though it is occurring in a world different from their own, or an opposite effect that connects the worldwide issues that occur in unsolved cases from their own country to Australia.
The Night Driver charts – Chartable
Australian audiences have a somewhat different approach to online discussions surrounding the Night Driver. Many members on the Websleuth forum are able to use their close proximity to the case to make suggestions on the location where things occurred, like different streets and properties that are points of interest. While someone that is a part of the international audience may be able to use google maps to contribute to the discussion, it is the local suggestions from listeners that are familiar with the town that offer the most substance.
A common practise that dedicated listeners go through is pausing, playing and re-listening to episodes whilst taking notes, in order to keep track of evidence to reach their own conclusion. But some that are a part of the local audience take this a step further. Particular Websleuth members will drive around streets mentioned in the podcast, watch CCTV footage to try and recognise people or uniforms and access local newspapers for more information on the case.
While I experience a connection when specific towns are mentioned that I am familiar with, I never consider using the podcast in order to take action into my own hands. I think these approaches separate the audience members who simply consume the podcast as a form of entertainment and information, like myself. Compared to those who “take-on” cases and use podcasts as the first step into their personal investigation. The emotional effects of this approach goes beyond listening time, instead the harsh reality of unsolved cases weigh heavy on listeners as they develop an attachment to the case, especially because some Websleuth members have been apart of the Janine Vaughan forum since 2014. So although Janine disappeared 19 years ago, listeners today are still commenting on their sadness, confusion and anger towards the case and its outcomes.
After the Podcast
As the ninth episode of the Night Driver on Spotify is released on the 19th October, two days later Bathurst households and businesses “Leave a Light On” to raise awareness of missing persons. ‘Leave a Light On Inc’ used details from Hedley Thomas’s podcast in order to make audiences aware of Janine Vaughan’s disappearance, as she is added to the unfortunately long list of missing loved ones.
But this year is different. With the recent release of the Night Driver more people across the country (and even across the world) are aware of Janine’s disappearance and the many details involved, but Covid 19 has also affected the nationwide event. With many physical gatherings cancelled, photos flooded onto Janine Vaughan Facebook groups of lit up porch lights left on in support.
I find the online participation incredibly important to the success of a true crime podcast and the overall environment it creates. While distances or covid restrictions separate listeners, online platforms and groups connect their cause. When accessing the podcast from my phone or laptop I know that I can also connect to sites such as Websleuths, Reddit or Facebook in order to further the conversation about the case. This easy transition from site to site is what creates such an active atmosphere.
While each platform offers a similar service of discussing Australian true-crime through forums or posts, each provides very different types of discourse. This could be due to the accounts connected to the sites, while Facebook shares individual personal details, sites like Websleuths offer anonymity for members. Being active in this environment means choosing how you are going to present yourself within this environment. Will you offer short but heartfelt sentiments from your personal Facebook account, post anonymous suggestions and discussions through Websleuths, or open up a topical conversation through Reddit. As I listened it became more clear that audiences that want to continue the discussion have no choice but to choose one of these options, as podcast sites such as Spotify or Apple Music have no comment section or any form of online discourse surrounding an episode. So listeners must utilise cross-platform participation.
Facebook and Reddit | The Brag
Even though the case is not yet at a clean-cut conclusion is has offer insight into the audiences that surround Australian true-crime podcasts. So while there is no sudden discovery of tangible evidence from the podcast, just like the many front lights left on, physical action can occur from this online discourse.
Resources:
Carroll, J (2019) “Janine Vaughan case: Police still waiting for DNA results” Muswellbrook Chronicle
Francis, T (2018) “Priority Cold Case of Janine Vaughan Gets a New Review Team – Will they find evidence of a police killer or an unknown predator?” Unsolved, AUSTRALIAN TRUE CRIME & UNSOLVED MYSTERIES
SMH (2002) “The search for Janine” The Sydney Morning Herald
Websleuths (2014) “Missing but not forgotten Discussion – 2000’s Missing ‘Australia – Janine Vaughan, 31, Bathurst, Nsw, 7 December 2001′” Websleuths
Weir, B & Rawsthorne, S (2019) “Police probe red car’s driver over Janine Vaughan’s disappearance” The Sydney Morning Herald
Bees and Bells 