The Peacemaker - Podcast Rankings and reviews

I really enjoyed this podcast- it’s an awful but engaging story told in a conversational way. I liked how it’s not a slick production and the story is told thoughtfully and ethically.

Love the investigative approach and storytelling. Would love more back and forth between the cohosts.

The story was just ok. It caught my attention because I’m from near that area. I didn’t even know about this story, so it was interesting to hear about. I highly recommend that anyone speed up the listening playback to at least 1.3X, because the narrator did something weird with his vocal editing to make it sound super slow. Sounds way more normal at a faster playback.

Interesting topic but after three episodes I hadn’t learned anything I didn’t already know from the New Yorker longread. If the pacing is too slow for you, I recommend that instead. If you’re not a longread fan then this is a good option

I often listen to true crime that is borderline unethical for the story but this one I had to turn off. I got to the part where the host and producer harass the father of one of the suicide victims and report condescendingly on his bar ad nauseam. Also the discussion of suicide lacks any basic knowledge that could have been remedied if they had spoken to a single mental health provider. Discounting sexual identity as a factor in Josh’s suicide because “it wasn’t a big deal” at his fraternity shows a very shallow understanding of the topic you are reporting on. Belonging to a marginalized group causes stress and a sense of ‘otherness’ that is often cited in research as a risk factor for suicide. There doesn’t have to be a blatant hate crime for this to have been true. Do better!

Irresponsible storytelling. Inaccurate details, sweeping assumptions, and dangerous language undermine what should have been careful, ethical reporting. The series ultimately veers from the framing sources were given, raising serious trust concerns. Casual, dismissive phrasing and a flippant tone—while treating real people as narrative devices—signal a profound lack of understanding of both harm and responsibility. For those closest to this story, the damage is unmistakable. Do better.