Carles Porta and Tor

The Intersection between Investigative Journalism, Sensationalism, and Capitalization of a Crime

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.62161/revvisual.v17.5762

Keywords:

True Crime, Historical representation, Storyteller, Carles Porta, Tor

Abstract

This research focuses on the work of journalist Carles Porta, in particular on the incident of a real crime in Tor, a small village in the Catalan Pyrenees. Porta has conducted nearly three decades of journalistic investigation, culminating in the production of Tor, la muntanya maleïda (“Tor, The Cursed Mountain”), a true crime documentary series. The aim of this study is to explore how an investigative journalist adopts the role of a storyteller and transforms a real event into a sensa : The existence is observed of a distinctive authorial mark characterized by his interventions, interactions and emotional involvement with the characters throughout the narrative

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Global Statistics ℹ️

Cumulative totals since publication
0
Views
0
Downloads
0
Total
Downloads by format:
PDF (Español (España)) 0 PDF 0

References

Avendaño, T. (24 March 2019). El documental de televisión ya no resume los titulares: los cambia. El País. https://bit.ly/4eVAPcs.

Barthes, R. (1970). Introducción al análisis estructural de los relatos. In R. Barthes (ed.), Análisis estructural del relato (pp. 9-43). Editorial Tiempo Contemporáneo.

Berlinger, J. and Sinofsky, B. (dirs) (1996). Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills. HBO.

Berlinger, J. (dir) (2019). Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes. Netflix.

Boling, K. S. and Hull, K. (2018). Undisclosed Information—Serial Is My Favorite Murder: Examining Motivations in the True Crime Podcast Audience. Journal of Radio & Audio Media, 25(1), 92-108. https://doi.org/10.1080/19376529.2017.1370714.

Bruzi, S. (2016). Making a Genre: The Case of the Contemporary True Crime Documentary. Law and Humanities, 10(2), 249-280. https://doi.org/10.1080/17521483.2016.1233741.

Buozis, M. (2017). Giving voice to the accused: Serial and the critical potential of true crime. Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies, 14(3), 254-270. https://doi.org/10.1080/14791420.2017.1287410

Cecil, D. K. (2020). Fear, Justice, & Modern True Crime. Lynne Rienner Publishers.

Chauhan, A., Alappat, J., & Raturi, P. (2024). Deconstructing True Crime, Reconstructing ‘Truth’: An Analysis of Netflix’s Conversation with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes. Vantage Journal of Thematic Analysis, 5(1), 34-47. http://dx.doi.org/10.52253/vjta.2024.v05i01.05

Comolli, J.L. (2015). Cinema against Spectacle: Technique and Ideology Revisited. Amsterdam University Press eBooks. https://doi.org/10.5117/9789089645548.

Costello, D. (2018). Un-Making a Murderer: New True Crime Sensationalism and the Criminal Justice System, Introduction. 55 Am. Crim. L. Rev. Online: 77-82.

Daswani, M. (20 June 2024). TV Real Festival Showcases Ampere Commissioning Data. Worldscreen.com. https://bit.ly/3LaVGeq.

de Lestrade, J.X. (dir.) (2004). The Staircase. Canal +.

El Mundo (20 June 2024). La leyenda negra de la montaña de Tor: 30 años de investigación, cien años de rencillas, secretos, casas quemadas y asesinatos. https://bit.ly/3VSFdAj.

Espinosa de los Monteros, M. J. (2018). ‘Tor’: el ‘Fargo’ catalán en formato podcast. El País. https://bit.ly/3VSLxYO.

Evans, B. (2020) Screen Memories in True Crime Documentary: Trauma, Bodies, and Places in The Keepers (2017) and Casting JonBenet (2017). In A.L. Hubbell, N. et al. (eds.), Places of Traumatic Memory, Palgrave Macmillan Memory Studies. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52056-4_13.

Fiorini, D. (2023). Diseño audiovisual, representación e interpretación en el género documental. Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Diseño y Comunicación, 205, 141-151. https://bit.ly/3WnjUZp.

Franks, R. (2016). True Crime: The Regular Reinvention of a Genre. Journal of Asia-Pacific Pop Culture, 1(2), 239-254.https://doi.org/10.5325/jasiapacipopcult.1.2.0239.

Gerbase, C. (2014). A elipse como estratégia narrativa nos seriados de TV. Significação: Revista de Cultura Audiovisual, 41(42), 67-78. https://doi.org/10.11606/ISSN.2316-7114.SIG.2014.83420.

Gutiérrez-Correa, M. L. (2014). El cine de autor del cine moderno al cine posmoderno. Razón y Palabra, 87. https://bit.ly/4eZbL4v.

Haro, M. (2008). Entrevista a Carles Porta por “Tor: la montaña maldita”. Anikaentrelibros.com. https://bit.ly/3VMt7IU.

Helich-Lopes, T. & Gomberg, F. (2023). O crime como espetáculo na narrativa documental: a série Netflix sobre Elize Matsunaga. Mídia E Cotidiano, 17(2), 1-27. https://doi.org/10.22409/rmc.v17i2.57783

Hernández, M. (2019). True Injustice: Cultures of Violence and Stories of Resistance in the New True Crime. IdeaFest: Interdisciplinary Journal of Creative Works and Research from Humboldt University, 3(1), 86-98. https://bit.ly/3xKvpAE.

Hull, G. (2011). Building Better Citizens: Hobbes against the Ontological Illusion. Epoche, 20(1), 105-129. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1927305.

Iglesias, E. (25 June 2024). Por qué las historias de crímenes alimentan las arcas de las plataformas de streaming. Cronista.com. https://bit.ly/3XSsAYA.

Jarecki, A., Smerling, M., and Stuart-Pontier, Z. (dirs.) (2015). The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst. HBO.

Kaiser-Moro, A. (2018). El cine o la vida. Narraciones del yo en Mapa. Zer, 44, 175-191. https://doi.org/10.1387/zer.19109.

Lando, A. (2024). Mainstreaming y representaciones sociales: Netflix y el caso Rosa Peral. Revista De Estudios Socioeducativos, ReSed, 1(12). https://bit.ly/3W5ZrGP.

Ludec, N. (2016). El sensacionalismo: una herramienta periodística para escribir sobre las mujeres. In Almuiña, C. et al. (eds.), Sensacionalismo y amarillismo en la Historia de la Comunicación, (pp.497-512). Editorial Fragua.

Maher, S. and Cake, S. (2023). Innovation in True Crime: Generic Transformation in Documentary Series. Studies in Australasian Cinema, 17(1-2), 95-109. https://doi.org/10.1080/17503175.2023.2224617.

Mora do Campo, M. M. (2024). El periodismo como estrategia literaria de Truman Capote. Doxa Comunicación. Revista Interdisciplinar De Estudios De Comunicación Y Ciencias Sociales, 38. https://bit.ly/4bHLQLK.

Moratelli, V. (2021). Elementos da narrativa ficcional no documentário seriado: estudo do arco dramático e das escolhas de edição no produto audiovisual. Cine-Fórum UEMS, 2(2). https://bit.ly/4f4Txym.

Morris, E. (dir.) (1988). The Thin Blue Line. Miramax.

Nichols, B. (1991). Representing Reality: Issues and Concepts in Documentary. Indiana University Press.

Nichols, B. (2017). Introduction to Documentary. Indiana University Press.

Otway, F. (2015). The Unreliable Narrator in Documentary. Journal of Film and Video, 67(3-4), 3-23. https://doi.org/10.5406/jfilmvideo.67.3-4.0003.

Palés, A. (18 June 2024). Carles Porta, sobre el fin de ‘Tor’: ‘Creo que quien mató a Sansa sale a la serie’. Ara.cat. https://bit.ly/3zxZUKs.

Partridge, P. (2018). Did He Do It?: Judging the Suspect-Protagonist in True Crime Documentaries. Doctoral dissertation, Wesleyan University.

Perchtold-Stefan, C., Rominger, C., Fink, A., Simon M. C., Sattler, K., and Veit, S. (2024). Out of the Dark - Psychological Perspectives on People’s Fascination with True Crime. OSF Preprints. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/uw7he.

Phoebe, L. (2 November 2021). Is Our True-Crime Obsession Doing More Harm Than Good? International New York Times, Gale Academic onfile. https://bit.ly/3WbAOtA.

Porta, C. (dir.) (2024). Tor, la muntanya maleïda. 3Cat.

Rabinowitz, P. (2011). Savage Holiday: Documentary Noir and True Crime in 12 Million Black Voices. In A. M. Craven and W. E. Dow (eds.), Richard Wright. Signs of Race. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230340237_8.

Ricciardi, L. and Demos, M. (dirs). (2015). Making a Murderer. Netflix.

Romero Domínguez, L. (2020). Narrativas del crimen en los documentales de no ficción: éxito del true crime en las plataformas VOD. Revista Panamericana de Comunicación, 2(2), 11-20. https://doi.org/10.21555/rpc.v0i2.2332.

Ross, A. M., Morgan, A., Wake, A., and Reavley, N.J. (2022). Pilot Trial of a Media Intervention with Journalism Students on News Reporting of Mental Illness in the Context of Violence and Crime. Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 33(3), 602-613.https://doi.org/10.1002/hpja.537.

Sánchez-Aranda, J. J. (2005). Análisis de contenido cuantitativo de medios. In F. López and M. I. Torregrosa (eds.), Investigar en comunicación: guía práctica de métodos y técnicas de investigación social en comunicación, (pp. 207-228). McGraw-Hill.

Sánchez-Esparza, M., Méndiz-Noguero, A. and Berlanga-Fernández, I. (2023). La narrativa transmedia en los true crime: del relato periodístico a las pantallas. El caso de Lucia en la telaraña. Literatura y Lingüística, 48, 19-46. https://doi.org/10.29344/0717621X.48.3255

Seba, A. (2016). Diseño sonoro en el documental. Representación y poética. Imagofagia, 13. https://bit.ly/3zK0d51.

Sherrill, L. A. (2020). The ‘Serial Effect’ and the True Crime Podcast Ecosystem. Journalism Practice, 16(7), 1473-1494. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2020.1852884.

Sligar, S. (2019). In Cold Blood, the Expansion of Psychiatric Evidence, and the Corrective Power of True Crime. Law & Literature, 31(1), 21-47. https://doi.org/10.1080/0067270X.2018.1465281.

Tinker, R. (2017). Guilty Pleasure: A Case Study of True Crime’s Resurgence in a Binge Consumption Era. Elon Journal, 1, 95-107.

Torres-Hermoso, P. (2017). Revisión sobre el periodismo de sucesos y tribunales. Análisis del tratamiento informativo del Caso Asunta. In N. Muñoz Fernández (ed.), El ejercicio del periodismo en la sociedad de la información (pp. 57-76). Egregius. https://bit.ly/3zGwdXO.

Vidal-Mestre, M., Freire-Sánchez, A. and Gracia-Mercader, C. (2023). Los problemas de salud mental como justificación del mal: el caso del Joker. In F. Pomares and L. Morales (eds.), Cómics y Estudios Culturales: imágenes en movimiento (pp. 169-196). Ediciones Idea.

Vitis, L. and Ryan, V. (2023). True Crime Podcasts in Australia: Examining Listening Patterns and Listener Perceptions. Journal of Radio & Audio Media, 30(1), 291-314. https://doi.org/10.1080/19376529.2021.1974446.

Warmedal, M. (2018). The Future of High-Quality Documentaries Reaching a World Audience. Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN). https://bit.ly/3Y45O0i.

Webb, L. (2021). True Crime and Danger Narratives: Reflections on Stories of Violence, Race, and (In)Justice. The Journal of Gender, Race & Justice, 24(1), 131-170. https://bit.ly/3WotE4r.

Wiltenburg, J. (2004). True Crime: The Origins of Modern Sensationalism. The American Historical Review, 109(5), 1377-1404.https://doi.org/10.1086/ahr/109.5.1377.

Williams, L. (1993). Mirrors without Memories: Truth, History, and the New Documentary. Film Quarterly, 46(3), 9-21.https://doi.org/10.2307/1212899.

Wong, J. S. and Harraway, V. (2020). Media Presentation of Homicide: Examining Characteristics of Sensationalism and Fear of Victimization and Their Relation to Newspaper Article Prominence. Homicide Studies, 24(4), 333-352.https://doi.org/10.1177/1088767919896391.

Yacuzzi, E. (2005). El estudio de caso como metodología de investigación: teoría, mecanismos causales, validación. Working Papers296, Universidad del Centro de Estudios Macroeconómicos de Argentina (UCEMA). https://bit.ly/3xUUhFQ.

Yardley, E., Kelly, E., and Robinson-Edwards, S. (2019). Forever Trapped in the Imaginary of Late Capitalism? The Serialized True Crime Podcast as a Wake-Up Call in Times of Criminological Slumber. Crime, Media, Culture, 15(3), 503-521.https://doi.org/10.1177/1741659018799375.

Yin, R. K. (2014). Case Study Research and Methods. Sage.

Young, A. (2010). The Scene of the Crime. Is There Such a Thing as ‘Just Looking’? In K. Hayward and T. L. M. Presdee (eds.), Framing Crime: Cultural Criminology (pp- 83-97). Routledge

Referencias audiovisuales

Balló, R. (Directora). (2021). Dolores: La verdad sobre el caso Wanninkhof [Serie documental]. HBO Max.

Brooks, R. (Director). (1967). A sangre fría [Película]. Columbia Pictures.Siminiani, E. (Director). (2012). Mapa [Película].

Carr, E. L. (Directora). (2017). Mommy Dead and Dearest [Película documental]. HBO.

De Lestrade, J.-X. (Director). (2018). The Staircase [Serie documental]. Netflix.

Furst, M., & Willoughby Nason, J. (Directores). (2023). The Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal [Serie documental]. Netflix.

Lewis, M. (Director). (2019). Don't F**k with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer [Serie documental]. Netflix.

Luis, J. (Director). (2024). El caso Sancho [Serie documental]. Netflix.

Siminiani, E. (Director). (2017). Lo que la verdad esconde: El caso Asunta [Serie documental]. Atresmedia.

Parrado, G. (Director). (2024). El rey del cachopo [Serie documental]. Netflix.

Vidal Novellas, M., & Pérez Cáceres, R. (Directores). (2023). Las cintas de Rosa Peral [Película documental]. Netflix.

Published

2025-04-12

How to Cite

Fitó-Carreras, M., Freire-Sánchez, A., & Vidal-Mestre, M. (2025). Carles Porta and Tor: The Intersection between Investigative Journalism, Sensationalism, and Capitalization of a Crime. VISUAL REVIEW. International Visual Culture Review Revista Internacional De Cultura Visual, 17(2), 203–215. https://doi.org/10.62161/revvisual.v17.5762

Issue

Section

Research articles