Newsroom Investigates’ chart-topping podcast about the mysterious death of a young boy in a small Southland town has been hand-picked by Apple Podcasts as one of its exclusive Shows We Love for 2023.
The Boy in the Water is one of 10 podcasts chosen for this Australasian category and is the only New Zealand show selected. The nine-part series seeks to unravel the case of Lachie Jones to find out what really happened to the little boy, whose lifeless body was found floating in Gore’s sewage oxidation pond.
Apple Podcasts’ Shows We Love is described as a selection of “stand-out narrative and episodic series that resonated with listeners this year.
“This hand-curated collection features some of the most compelling podcasts of the year. These are the shows Apple Podcasts editors got excited about, shared with others, and found so gripping we couldn’t stop listening. With these shows you’ll discover fresh perspectives, laughs and insights, and truly incredible storytelling.”
The announcement was released today as part of Apple’s annual podcast charts that acknowledge the most popular shows of the year using a combination of metrics that cover listening rates, follows and completion numbers.
Newsroom’s popular weekday podcast The Detail, produced for RNZ, takes out the number three spot in the Top Shows chart for the year. The two podcasts ahead of it were produced internationally. The Daily, produced by the New York Times and BBC’s Global News podcast were placed seventh and 10th respectively.
The Boy in the Water and Newsroom Investigates’ award-winning series Peter Ellis, the Creche Case & Me both secured top 10 placings in the Top New Shows category.
Peter Ellis, the Creche Case & Me, the eight-part series that takes listeners inside one of New Zealand’s most controversial and high-profile legal cases, has also taken the third spot in the Top History Shows in New Zealand.
Newsroom’s investigations editor, Melanie Reid says, “we only added podcasting to our methods of investigative storytelling a year ago, so I’m very proud we’ve already made such an impact.
“Podcasting and investigative journalism is a very powerful and effective combination. We’re excited to be working in this frontier of journalism. It takes a lot of intense work to create an investigative podcast and it’s very gratifying to have this recognition.”
The Boy in the Water, Peter Ellis, the Creche Case & Me and The Detail are all available from Apple Podcasts, Spotify and your favourite podcast platforms.
