Reckoning Day: Can 'Serial' Spark Reform?

Like an unflattering mirror, the third season of Serial reflects an image that has unnerved many Clevelanders. By now, you’ve likely listened to some of the episodes, which dropped Sept. 20 and continue weekly through Nov. 15. If not, maybe you’ve heard the outrage over unusual (possibly unconstitutional) sentencing, violent cops and other broken cogs in Cuyahoga County’s criminal justice machine. Reported for more than a year, the season examines the justice system by following small cases that profile judges, prosecutors and defendants. “We’re reporting things a lot of people already know,” says producer and co-reporter Emmanuel Dzotsi, who attended Ohio State University and high school in Toledo. “But it’s different when you hear about it in this way.” We talk to host and producer Sarah Koenig and Dzotsi about the podcast’s potential impact.

CM: Did we need outside reporters to come in and tell these stories?
ED: There are some fantastic journalists in Cleveland. Everything [Plain Dealer reporter] Rachel Dissell does is epic. You have great court reporters like [Cleveland.com’s] Cory Shaffer. But we don’t fund local journalism. The breaking news and cops reporters pitch in, but there is one guy whose job it is to cover all the courts for Cleveland.com. He’s making decisions every single day of what to cover and not to cover on deadline. Working in a documentary sense, I just had the luxury of time with no real deliverables. 

CM: What impact do you hope this project has?
ED: When done well, journalism can inspire a community and its government to come together and think about the way in which things work. But sometimes it seems like we do all this great reporting and nothing happens. I don’t know what to do about that. My hope is that people listen and have thoughts and discussions, but the people in the county have to decide for themselves if they want to change anything at all.

CM: What can people do to make a difference if they’re upset by what they hear?
SK: Vote. I know it sounds unsexy, but your judges are elected. Your prosecutor is elected. Your legislators are elected. A lot of this is state law. That’s your legislator. If we’re honest with ourselves, how closely are we paying attention? I’m not saying everyone needs to march around the Justice Center with a placard. Figure out who these people are and if you want them to stay in office. 

CM: Did this project leave you hopeful?
ED: I swing wildly between being an optimist and a pessimist. Cleveland, and Cuyahoga County, is at a unique place right now. People are serious about reform, but the entire history of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County is predicated on stutter steps. So, you have to temper that. We asked so many people the same questions: “Is this an example of the system working? Are you hopeful?” And we got pretty negative answers across the board.