007 - James Wolner - Dakota Spotlight

About this episode

Sebastian Arciszewski interviews James Wolner about his journey in creating the Dakota Spotlight true crime podcast.

James Wolner of Dakota Spotlight SUMMARY In this episode, host Sebastian sits down with James Wolner, the creator and host of Dakota Spotlight — an acclaimed true crime podcast with 12 seasons and counting, rooted in stories from North Dakota and the broader Upper Midwest. What began as a bar conversation about a suspicious death in western North Dakota has grown into one of the most respected independent investigative audio journalism projects in the region, earning a place in the Dakota State Archives and spawning an Emmy award-winning documentary. James opens up about the unexpected origins of his show — born largely out of frustration with the erosion of facts and journalistic trust in 2019 — and how he channeled a career in photojournalism and IT into a passion for rigorous, story-driven research. The conversation spans the full arc of James's journey: working with Forum Communications, going independent again, navigating the ethical tightrope of true crime storytelling, and his deeply held belief in the power of the "slow burn" documentary format in an age of short-form content. James also shares what it was like living in Sweden for 22 years and how that cross-cultural…

People in this episode

Host: Sebastian Arciszewski

Guest: James Wolner

Topics covered

• true crime
• investigative journalism
• storytelling
• independence
• cultural perspective

Keywords

• Dakota Spotlight
• true crime podcast
• investigative journalism
• North Dakota
• storytelling

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Dakota Spotlight, Forum Communications, Dakota State Archives

Places: North Dakota, Upper Midwest

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