In my second year of journalism studies at the University of South Carolina, I’m learning about tons of variations of the trade; from a rigid Korean woman screaming into a camera to “fake news”, it has definitely already been an interesting semester. In one of my classes I’m required to listen to one of three podcasts, so I chose “Serial” at random. My professor didn’t tell us much about it, I just knew I liked NPR’s style of reporting so I took a chance.

I replaced my work out playlist with Sarah Koenig’s crisp, quirky voice and immediately fell into the podcast. “Serial” tells the true and ongoing story of a cold case in which an Asian American teenage girl, Hae Min Lee, is murdered and the state of Maryland convicts her Muslim ex-boyfriend. Koenig believes that the ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, did not do it, and tells her tale of extraordinary investigative journalism that eventually leads to a new trial for Adnan.

Now, I’m definitely not one to listen to podcasts or audiobooks. The way the speaker tries to articulate certain things conflicts with the way my brain personally would and it rubs me the wrong way. Immediately, listening to this podcast, I felt pulled in. Koenig was so descriptive and intriguing that I couldn’t help but stare off into space and imagine every piece of the story, whether it was Hae Min Lee’s face before she left that day from school, or the Best Buy where prosecutors say she was murdered. Listening to the way that Koenig dug so deep into this cold case, trying all options and doing unthinkable investigating amazed me, as if I was walking right along with her.

The podcast also deals with the implications of race. In Baltimore, Maryland, the majority of the population is of color. The majority of the people at Lee’s high school were black. The prime suspect was a Muslim teenager, with the prime witness being black. It is only directly mentioned a few times, but immediately as a person of color you catch on how some things just don’t sound right.

I took a break from listening to the podcast because sometimes, it’s overwhelming. The producers chose the music backdrop wisely, and some moments are chilling to the core. In an effort to figure out every single detail of the case, a description of Lee’s dead body is often reiterated. For some reason, it doesn’t feel like watching a crime show on TV or even a biopic about a serial killer. Having it stream right into my ears and giving me the room to personally visualize it creates a fear factor of reality like no other.

Yet, these are the kind of things journalists hope for. We hope our stories will strike your mind and your heart and move to do something. We hope our stories will create an image you’re not used to, and will make you uncomfortable. We hope our stories will bring justice to whoever has been wronged no matter what.

“Serial” not only has created a following of avid listeners advocating for Syed and his cause, but has also created a tangible result. You become an investigative journalist yourself and it leaves you wanting more.

I haven’t finished the first season yet, but I’m basically binging it like a Netflix show. Even if it’s not your style, I suggest listening to the first episode at least. If that doesn’t prick your curiosity, I’m not sure what else will.