True crime content creators have an ethical obligation to donate proceeds to the victims' families.

“I feel like they should be donating to like the families like giving the money to the families or something. You know what I mean? Yeah. Because that's always going to be a thing too like if you're talking about like you know victims and stuff”

The ethics of covering true crime for profit in an influencer format is problematic.

“So, the ethics of true crime media, especially like with Tik Tok and YouTube and stuff, it's always going to be weird.”

Lauren Matthias maintains that true crime reporting should prioritize the protection and defense of victims over sensationalism.

“I have fought battles behind the scenes for years that no one will ever know about. and then the name of the people whose lives have been ripped apart. When you are covering a case for five years, it gets messy. But I can say the one thing I have done throughout the years is protected victims”