Angela's mother has been hit by the assassins four times: Strict rules are needed

In the cultural news reviews of the true crime podiums, ten relatives of victims of crime have harshly criticized the lack of press ethics in the growing genre. One of the most affected people is Carina Höglund.

In 2008, her ten-year-old daughter was assaulted and murdered outside Stjärnsund in Dalarna. The incident is one of Sweden's most well-known crimes, and in step with the rise of the true crime podcasts in recent years, her daughter's death has been repeatedly mentioned, in some cases extremely detailed, in the popular programs. At every moment it has hit the family hard.

- It feels very disrespectful, you are not taken seriously at all. It's like the podiatrists don't think we really are, says Carina Höglund to the Cultural News.

In our previous reviews, we have been able to show how Sweden's largest true crime podcasts go through notable cases in great detail. In some of the programs, you can spend hours reporting what victims have been exposed to. You play 112 conversations, testimonies from trials, and perpetrators' own stories about the murders. It also happens that people are told what the relatives are called, the names of witnesses, and where the people involved live.

Acting is deeply problematic, and can hit the families hard, says Carina Höglund.

- I can only say that it is disgraceful, there are so many who suffer. It may be young children, siblings in the family or friends of the murdered person who are not yet ready to include these details, for example.

Unlike traditional media, the true crime podcasts that we reviewed are not connected to any press-ethical systems because there are no legal requirements for podcasts to appoint a responsible publisher.

This means that many of the families the cultural news has talked to experience a powerlessness, since they cannot report the podiums for intrusion into private life or for violating the press ethical rules. Instead, it is up to the relatives themselves to take up the conflict with the podmakers, which Carina Höglund has done several times.

- You have to fight. Put in a lot of energy, listen to the pods, and it takes so much power that you don't really have. Right now I know that there is a pod out there that is about Engla, which I have not been able to listen to. But I get to gather strength, and then grab it.

You have contact with many other relatives of murder victims. Can everyone take that fight?

- Absolutely not, they put the lid on. Most people I talk to have not been so exposed, but if it is a known murder with very horrible details, it is picked up everywhere.

The majority of the victims of crime victims that the Cultural News has talked to in the review are now calling for stricter rules for the true crime podcasts. They want, among other things, to see clearer press ethical rules or even amended legislation.

- We are in the 21st century and have no legislation to do with it, it is a bit Hedenhös over both the press ethical rules and the legislation. That needs to be changed, we must be able to stand up to crime victims, says Carina Höglund.

One of the podcasts that made a section about Engla's death is Swedish Murder Stories, which is criticized by several relatives. You can read more about that criticism here.