Sword and Scale
Presentation
Hosted by
  • Mike Boudet

(2014-Present; Patreon, 2016-present)

  • Tricia Griffith

(2019)

GenreTrue crime
LanguageEnglish
UpdatesBi-weekly
Production
Audio formatiTunes, SoundCloud, Google Play, Google Podcasts
No. of seasons8
No. of episodes332
Publication
Original releaseJanuary 1, 2014
ProviderUnavailable
Related
Websiteswordandscale.com

Sword and Scale is a bi-weekly American podcast exploring nonfiction stories of true crime. It features a variety of narrated true crime stories intertwined with interviews with criminals, witnesses, victims, authors, 911 call audio, witness testimony, trial audio, interrogation tapes, music, and sound effects. The podcast was first released on January 1, 2014 by creator, host, Mike Boudet.

Within a year, Sword and Scale had 1 million downloads and it has ranked in the top 10 of the iTunes "Science" category, and within the top 5 in the "Social Sciences" category. Popularity increased[1] dramatically after the popularity of Serial,[2] and the show is often compared to it and other podcasts like Criminal.[3][4] In 2016, Sword and Scale became part of the Wondery podcast network started by former Fox International Channels CEO Hernan Lopez.

The show returned for its eighth season in January 2021.

Controversy

Wondery officially parted ways with Sword and Scale on March 9, 2019 after Boudet, the podcast's host, shared a statement on the official Instagram account that drew online criticism over its perceived misogynistic nature.[5][6]

Following its departure from Wondery, Tricia Griffith, veteran broadcaster and owner of the popular true crime forum Websleuths, was appointed the show's new host.[7] The move was temporary, with Mike Boudet returning on June 12, 2019.

On 1 April 2021, Sword & Scale announced on their social media pages that Kast Media had voided the show’s contract.

On 11 November 2021, Mike Boudet announced the immediate closure of all Sword & Scale's social media pages via a post on his blog.[8] As of December 2022, all Sword & Scale social media pages are active.

In December 2022, the Sword & Scale Twitter account faced backlash after tweeting an insensitive poll asking people to vote on which race they preferred victims to be.[9] All tweets relating to this have since been deleted from the Sword & Scale Twitter account.

References

  1. ↑ "Beyond 'Serial': 10 True Crime Podcasts You Need to Follow". Rolling Stone. July 22, 2016. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  2. ↑ "7 podcasts for your inner detective". Mashable. November 3, 2014. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Cast-Off! Criminal versus Sword and Scale". Podcast Pals. March 28, 2015. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
  4. ↑ "The Best True Crime Podcasts that aren't 'Serial'". The Bold Italic. December 2, 2014. Retrieved December 2, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Sword & Scale host Mike Boudet fired over offensive comments". NewsComAu. 2019-03-11. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
  6. ↑ Baysinger, Tim (9 March 2019). "Wondery Drops 'Sword & Scale' Podcast After Host Mike Boudet's 'Dumb C–ts' Comment". The Wrap.
  7. ↑ Fowler, Bella (March 26, 2019). "True crime podcast Sword and Scale has appointed a new host following Mike Boudet's sacking". MamaMia. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Why I'm Leaving Social Media ...Possibly Forever". Mike Boudet. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  9. ↑ Weiss, Geoff. "The host of a popular true crime podcast is facing backlash after asking listeners, 'Which race do you prefer the murder victims to be?'". Insider. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
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