Alexandra Whitbeck's Investigative Podcast is recognized by Hofstra University
‘Investigative Podcast Recognized by Professional Org.’
By Kelly Sacco
When graduate journalism student and true crime buff Alexandra Whitbeck ’22 had to produce a podcast for a class assignment, she knew exactly what story she wanted to tell: The still-unsolved Gilgo Beach murders, the case of at least 10 people – many of them sex workers – whose remains were discovered over several years along a beach in Long Island.
More than a year later, “Sex Work After Gilgo” is now a three-part podcast series that examines the case, the allegations of scandal and police corruption surrounding it and the way sex work and sex workers are perceived in today’s society and treated by law enforcement. The Gilgo Beach case, also known as the Long Island Serial Killer case, has long stumped police, who are not sure if the murders are the work of one or many killers.
“I wanted to come at it from a take that hasn’t been played so many times,” said Whitbeck. “I thought it was a natural segue to be able to tell the story of how sex workers are treated by law enforcement and politicians.”
An earlier, shorter version of “Sex Work After Gilgo” was recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists as a finalist in the 2021 “Mark of Excellence Awards”. In addition to Whitbeck’s series, The Hofstra Chronicle was also named a finalist for the Corbin Gwaltney Awards for Best All-Around Student Newspaper (Large). Whitbeck’s series will also air on WRHU 88.7 FM – Radio Hofstra University this week and can be found on the newly launched website of The Long Island Advocate.
The project provided hands-on experience investigating a story and interacting with sources, and provided lessons that could not be learned in a classroom.
“I don’t think that I quite prepared myself enough going into it for sitting down with these people who had the most heartbreaking stories to tell,” she said. “And at the same time you have to thank them for telling it, which is a weird mechanism in itself, because you’re thanking them for just relaying this traumatic event to you. As a student, it was something I had never encountered before so it was eye-opening to witness the intricacies of the journalism world that I wasn’t privy to just yet through doing internships.”
Whitbeck credits Lawrence Herbert School of Communication Vice Dean Mario A. Murillo with helping her navigate the difficult subject matter.
“He told me that as long as the reporting was solid and the research is done and there was nothing anyone could say against the factual matter of the piece, we wouldn’t run into any problems, and we haven’t,” she said. “Professor Murillo was so gung-ho about it from the beginning, that it made me feel confident that as long as I did my end and was a journalist about it, then we would have no issues and we haven’t.”
Whitbeck has used the experience to propel her career forward, parlaying it into a job at The People Sentinel, a newspaper in Barnwell, South Carolina.
“This piece and working on this capstone project secured the idea that I want to do long form stories, especially community stories local to the place that I’m living,” she said. “I’m now moving to South Carolina to work for a newspaper doing community journalism, which I never thought I would do. All of this work came to fruition for me getting this job I never thought I’d have.”