In The Dark

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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,” In the Dark’s first collaboration with a New Yorker staff writer, is a four-part series that asks why the women in Dubai’s royal family keep trying to run away. Season 3 of In the Dark is currently in production.

In the Dark is a two-time Peabody Award winner and, in 2019, became the first podcast to win a George Polk Award, one of the top honors in investigative journalism. The program has also received an Edward R. Murrow Award and a Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award.

Recent Episodes
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Recent Reviews
  • Paulamariedonovan
    Kidnapped Princesses
    Wait a minute…runaway princesses? Not sure I like that title. Should have said Kidnaped Princesses.
  • Steph3257
    Excellent
    This podcast is great! Season 1 was hard to listen to. Two and three were exceptional! I’m glad all the hard work of these reporters and producers paid off for Curtis! Wish season 3 had more content! Can’t wait for season 4!
  • Momo mini love
    Obsessed
    I have enjoyed every minute of this story. Madeline tells it beautifully and in a way that helps the listener truly understand what is happening. I can’t stop thinking about the people involved and the blatant racism that continues in Mississippi. I wish there was something I could do to help stop this madness.
  • hendrix4444
    I can’t stop thinking about this ….
    The time , energy and work that went into the investigative journalism is astounding. Such a wonderful job . It was told perfectly. My heart broke a little at the end of this story , I feel helpless as I write this . Thank you for all the work done to bring this together . It’s easily become a top fav I’ve ever heard. I have shared it so much . Because this a VERY important story . Really has you thinking and feeling after listening while you write those morning gratitude lists . To every woman fighting the fight - you are not alone and we all stand with you world wide !
  • Fencer Awesome 101
    Strong reporting
    Outstanding and unbiased reporting, I really enjoyed seasons 1 and 2.
  • Ctdncu
    Amazing journalism
    This is one of my top 3 podcasts ever! The level of journalism that was done looking into the Curtis Flowers case was worthy of the highest awards. It was an honor and a privilege to listen to this podcast and see how hard the reporters worked to uncover the truth that allowed Mr. Flowers his freedom.
  • TKA-91362
    another knock out
    riveting storytelling
  • ATerese8
    Excellent, well done!
    Great reporting and narration, definitely inspires me to learn more about the UAE and royal family. Highly recommend!
  • Tutti66
    Riveting and exemplary journalism
    I will now subscribe to the New Yorker. This represents what journalism should be and sadly is becoming quite rare.
  • Majo1969
    Can’t stop listening!
    The first and second seasons are fantastic! I was addicted! Couldn’t stop listening. Binged it! Third season I wasn’t as engaged. But still listened. Thank you so much for reporting such engaging stories. The Curtis Flowers reporting was engaging. All the way to the Supreme Court. Wow!
  • Crazy Tibetan yak
    Better journalists
    So these journalists did much better job than the police and DA of that county
  • Catzi72
    Wow - this is captivating
    The story telling is amazing. From the beginning to the end, you can feel the intensity and urgency. This should be a motion picture!!
  • PodcastJuncy
    Thank you
    Thank you to the journalists who decided to investigate the conviction of Curtis Flowers and did a better job than anyone who had been on the case previously. Thank you for your dedication that resulted in an innocent man finally going free. You both were persistent despite being verbally abused by some of the people you interviewed. God’s work I say.
  • Neal________________
    Great storytelling!
    Sometimes hard to listen to, but always very interesting.
  • Sicily 2024
    Runaway Princesses
    Riveting. By far the most informatively shocking detail of life as a princess daughter of a shiekh. An amazing story and very revealing. A true “eye opener”. My favorite podcast story.
  • jake19271
    Great work
    Great reporting and storytelling! I learned so much from this powerful story.
  • AMFaust000
    Great podcast
    It is clear that she just gave up in order to get what little freedoms she could. Her father is a monster. Very well done podcast.
  • MaggieMayTampa
    Runaway Princesses
    I’ve listened to countless podcasts, but this has been one of the most compelling. What’s really telling are the one star reviews. I’m convinced they’re engineered by the Dubai sheik, and that makes the issue of the princesses all the more believable and tragic.
  • Kendall is a boys name.
    Sell outs
    Condé Nast, really?! I thought you had integrity. Journalism is dead.
  • Roscoe Van Damme
    Season 3
    A captivating story about the plight of women in the UAE, done a great disservice by a contrived format. A pointless cohost asking questions that are obviously going to be answered by the host telling the story. It is literally scripted this way, for what purpose? At least hire someone with acting ability so it doesn’t feel so forced and obvious. I’m nearly to the end and hoping for the best for Latifah and Shamsa.
  • no_depression_era
    A Great Series, But…
    I am torn. I’m writing this as I finish season 2. I absolutely love this series and what season 2 accomplished, but I was left with an odd feeling in my stomach about the way the Willy J Hemphill episodes and the wrap up episodes were handled. I feel that there is a good chance that Hemphill was involved, but I’m still not sure they handled this in a appropriate manner. I wish they had simply presented the facts. Those episodes felt at great odds with the rest of the podcast. Also, in my opinion, there was some insensitivity in the way that the original victims families were approached after the bail hearing and recusal. Those moments felt a bit like a smug victory lap. They still lost family members and had have been lied to for 20+ years by a corrupt DA. I understand the need to include their point of view, but you were contacting them when they still (wrongly) viewed you are fighting against them. I do enjoy this series a lot and I will keep listening. You really accomplished something great. Just a little constructive criticism along with it. Carry on.
  • Xbon94
    Excellent
    This podcast is one of the best I’ve heard. Storytelling at its best. I highly recommended it.
  • dontbesurprised MBB11
    Compelling
    Well done, In the Dark team! What a sad story.
  • Jim3485
    Great show
    Great content and delivery! Must listen
  • herladyshp
    Wow!
    I never know what to say in a review. Really enjoyed this podcast. Madeline and Heidi are excellent storytellers
  • LindsSavage
    One of the best
    I’ve listened to endless podcasts over the years and this is one of, if not the, best I’ve ever listened to. So well done, so interesting. #FreeLatifa
  • FireVaney
    "The Runaway Princesses"
    What an incredible story! It feels like the plot of so many Hollywood movies. But if it’s all true, then Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktou is one of the most dangerous men in the world.
  • USA Mknitter
    The Runaway Princesses — Season 3
    Thank you for this podcast. It was very eye opening. I had heard of (former) Queen Haya and her work but had not realized her “royal” relationship with Shamsa & Latifa. Ivanka Trump was only a woman supporter in word only , and the media the world stage provided her — she did Nothing for women’s rights, especially in the Middle Eastern culture. The “female stereotype” provided to us American women in the 1950s-1970s culture was almost as much a prison for me like what Latifa experienced in the Middle East - ugh.
  • Glacier1975
    Confusing
    These Dubai Folks are just abusive. End of story. Stay away.
  • heudhevr
    The Runaway Princesses
    A true tale so haunting, I couldn’t put it out of mind. So compelling, I had new episode drop dates on my calendar so I could listen as soon as possible. The narration is straightforward and clear. I wish Latifa was free, but I don’t believe she is.
  • foundlover0987654321
    AMAZING! PLEASE UPLOAD MORE!!
    I’m only on the first season, but I’m ABSOLUTELY IN LOVE WITH THIS PODCAST!! It’s so interesting and gives me the chills. If you like mystery and horror, THIS PODCAST IS FOR YOU!!!!!
  • shay9374
    Miscarriage of justice
    One of the worst stories I’ve ever heard told in a very articulate and direct way. This is so wrong! How is this even able to happen? Great podcast but I wish it was a story that didn’t need to be told. Prayers for this man and his family.
  • IzebuI
    Very poor reporting
    Just listened to season 1. Very biased and 1 sided. Has a whole episode sympathizing with sex offenders and even interviewing a man that tried to meet up with underage girls and portrays him as a victim of the system. If this is what The New Yorker is like then I’m not surprised it’s failing.
  • Dixie Brown
    Republican Here, Still Great Investigative Journalism
    I’ve listened to this podcast from the very beginning. I wanted to say that as a conservative, I still believe the state got it wrong AND that the investigative journalism here is top notch. I do hate that some people given a mic make all conservatives look so narrow minded— I promise I’m right down the road in Memphis and we aren’t all this way. Clearly these folks never actually listened to ANY of Madeline’s discoveries- or maybe they are embarrassed to be a part of many of them. The payoffs, the blatant disregard for other very viable suspects— which truthfully if caught— could’ve saved additional lives. It’s just crazy the things she uncovered- and the bravery it took to uncover them. Excellent work. Please don’t hate all conservatives bc of the few crazies in Winona Ms.
  • Yàtmá
    The Giving Heart
    Perfect example of turning compassion into proactive passion. Such a tragedy as this needed proactive passion. Fantastic work everyone!
  • SociallyLiberal
    Obvious Prejudice
    I just finished listening to Season 2. it would’ve been so much easier to listen to if it had been without the obvious prejudice against whites, Republicans and the South. The work that was done was good. The production was good. The prejudice is very offputting.
  • KingTiras
    lol at these 1 star reviews
    This podcast is compelling and very moving! Great work team.
  • Recycle Freak5
    Amazing Podcast
    I was a fan of the original In the Dark podcast. I was unsure about the Runaway Princess crossover. I have to say, I love the all the seasons. The reporting on the princesses was really well done.
  • Nasusr
    Great story well told
    And I LOVE Madeline Baran!
  • Jaesav123
    The most disturbing podcast out there
    As a fan of true crime, and a child safety advocate I am appalled and disgusted by the host of this show. It was not her blatant distaste for law enforcement over all that made this a hard listen but rather her support of sexual predators. Instead of focusing on the disgusting criminal that tormented and killed this child she spent episode after episode, tearing apart, seemingly unrelated police departments and random cases. She advocated for the privacy of CHILD SEX OFFENDERS, going as far as giving a man who was arrested for trying to lure teenage girls into sex a platform and painting him in an empathetic light. There is advocating for much needed criminal justice reform, and then there is this woman minimizing the acts of child rapist. It makes me question exactly what her interests are as an individual, I pray her suggested “reforms” never come to fruition and she never has access to a child.
  • FUMAGA!!
    Why?
    I’ve just spent 10 minutes listening about a horrible awful man with no reason why I should listen to your podcast. what’s your point?
  • OzMik
    Great Content - But Let Us Listen in Our App of Choice
    The new season “Runaway Princesses” is fantastic. But the incessant hyping up of The New Yorker and the irritating push to make us listen in The New Yorker app are really tiresome. I get it. The New Yorker is great. I am already a subscriber. So I don’t need to listen to a host gush about how wonderful the publication is. What I would like to do is be able to use my New Yorker subscription benefit - early and ad free listening - in the podcast app of my choice, not in the New Yorker’s standalone app. Just about every other platform out there - from Slate, to the Economist and on to The Washington Post and the Times of London - has found a way to enable subscribers to their platforms to access subscription benefit podcasts without having to use individual apps. So how about it In The Dark/New Yorker? Stop with the self congratulation and start by meeting your listeners where they are and where they want to be - in the podcast apps of our choice.
  • CHRISSYB1234567
    Love Madeleine and Parker!!! 😍😍
    Parker doesn’t back down! Love her!
  • BPF72
    The Runaway Princess
    Interesting story and great reporting. I love Madeleine and all past seasons but her presence in The Runaway Princess is unnecessary and distracting. Trust your listeners enough to connect the dots without having her randomly ask obvious questions to lead us there - it messes with the flow of the episode.
  • Lulu garibay
    They’ve done it again- awesome reporting
    Hanging on every word of this reporting. Clear that partnership with New Yorker has been a win. So excited In the Dark is back! Thank you thank you and keep up the amazing work!
  • Angv99
    First review written because it’s THAT GOOD
    Raw honest journalism holding the appropriate parties accountable! Thank you for being fearless and shedding light on the incompetence of our elected officials. Bully’s behind a badge is what the police have become. Shame on them. And thank you to those that do not accept this way of policing and fight to do the right thing. Stay true to your oath, our children, your children deserve at least that.
  • lenwoods
    Riveting & Unforgettable
    The meticulous investigative work and the spellbinding storytelling here are unrivaled. My only complaint? When are we going to get Season 3?
  • Slinkyj77
    Season 1 Episodes 5 and 8 - wow. National tragedy is a severe understatement
    Very eye opening. The entire series is full of insight. Very compelling and tragic stories. My heart goes out to Dan Rassier for all the pain and life altering trajectory the earlier events had on his life.
  • this show used to be good
    What a joke
    All you need to know is this is from the new yorker magazine. It’s liberal garbage.
  • jrbray
    Mind boggling
    I’m only on season 1 episode 7 and I have to say W. T. F. What about siblings who sexually assault and aren’t registered and are teachers?! They aren’t on the list but have done worse than some who are on the list! As a sexual assault survivor from a family member, I’m grateful for the registry but in my opinion it does nothing from personal experience. My heart goes out to Jacob’s family but to everyone who has suffered from assault from people who go under the radar.
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