In The Dark
4.9/5
Critic Rating
In the Dark, hosted by Madeleine Baran, is an award-winning investigative-journalism podcast that started in 2016. Its first season looked at the mysterious abduction of Jacob Wetterling in rural Minnesota and the lack of accountability that sheriffs face when they fail to solve cases. Season 2 examined the case of Curtis Flowers, who was tried six times for the same crime. In 2020, In the Dark released a special report on the coronavirus pandemic in the Mississippi Delta. In 2023, In the Dark joined The New Yorker and Condé Nast. “The Runaway Princesses,” a four-part series that asks why the women in Dubai’s royal f...
Critic Reviews
Score: 5
Reggie Ugwu • New York Times • Dec 6, 2024
"Their staggeringly ambitious account, filled with heartbreaking revelations and heroic acts of truth seeking, is an astonishing testament to the power of investigative journalism."
Score: 5
Chloe Walker • PodcastReview.org • Oct 1, 2024
"(Season 3) The sheer scale of his loss is hard to fathom...just as In the Dark is rigorous in recounting how those innocent civilians died, it’s determined to tell us how they lived — who they loved, what they did with their days, all the hopes they had for a future they’d never see. As a stark counterbalance to the dehumanizing attitude of the Marines...listening to the third season of In the Dark feels like a tiny, vital act of rebellion against overwhelming systemic injustice."
Score: 4
Gregg Stockdale • The Podcast Geek • Sep 29, 2024
"This is yet another podcast that will have you shaking your head in disbelief. Madeleine Baran, and her producer Samara uncover some remarkable evidence."
Score: 5
Rebecca Lavoie, Kevin Flynn, Lara Bricker & Toby Ball • Crime Writers On • Sep 19, 2024
"(Season 3 Updated) Madeleine Baran's team landed the plane, shining a light on how despite overwhelming evidence...Lara found it to be exceptionally rage inducing and incredibly well researched...Kevin praised the series as an achievement."
Score: 5
Nicholas Quah • Vulture • Sep 3, 2024
"(Season 3) The resulting investigation is stellar, upsetting, and yet another much-needed opportunity to critically consider the state of U.S. military engagement. The choice in subject makes In the Dark an interesting pairing with Serial’s Guantanamo season, which came out earlier this year; it’s almost as if the country has a lot of explaining to do."
Score: 5
Rebecca Lavoie, Kevin Flynn, Lara Bricker & Toby Ball • Crime Writers On • Aug 29, 2024
"(Season 3) ..."In the Dark" does not disappoint. Rebecca declares season three a hella achievement. Lara says the team knocks it out of the park, with great writing, thoughtful sound design, and superior reporting. Toby admired how the team cut through the platitudes of "the fog of war"..."
Score: 5
Fiona Sturges • Financial Times • Aug 18, 2024
"(Season 3) This quest for answers leads Baran and her team to some dark places as they speak to Iraqi civilians, former US Marines and eyewitnesses, and pore over boxloads of previously unseen government and military documents. What they reveal is horrifying but in no way sensationalised, instead offering a glimpse into the mindset among the Marines deployed in Iraq that their actions didn’t have consequences."
Score: 5
Lauren Passell • Podcast The Newsletter • Aug 5, 2024
"The thing I loved the most, other than the fact that this is a story that really needs to be told, and deserves to be told well (and it is) is how thorough this reporting was...This feels very different than old In the Dark seasons, but the dedication and thorough research hasn’t gone away."
Score: 5
Rebecca Lavoie • Vulture • Oct 1, 2019
"Hosted by the measured and confident Madeleine Baran, the journalism behind In The Dark is second to none, a team reporting effort that’s transparently explained to the listener. It’s the rare show to effectively combine shoe-leather investigation, exhaustive sourcing, and groundbreaking data dives, all driven home with rare precision and a welcome dose of humanity."
