The Barclay-Bourdin case has been covered extensively in the true crime genre, and its coverage raises some of the ethical questions that attend true crime more generally.

The family at the center of this case — Beverly Dollarhide, Carey Gibson, and others — have been public figures in relation to this case despite not having chosen to be public figures.

Their grief, their possible failures of judgment, Bourdin’s accusations about their knowledge — all of these have been discussed in detail in documentary films, podcasts, articles, and books.

This is, in some ways, inevitable in cases that enter the public record through criminal proceedings.

But it creates specific ethical obligations on the part of those who cover the case: to treat the family with respect, to acknowledge what is established fact and what is speculation, and to be careful about the difference between legitimate investigation of a matter of public interest and intrusive speculation about people who are already suffering.