Talking Dateline: Conversations at CrimeCon

In a special edition of "Talking Dateline," host Josh Mankiewicz took a break from his usual behind-the-scenes look at specific episodes to share a live conversation from CrimeCon 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mankiewicz, affectionately known as the "Mayor of CrimeCon" (a title he insists he didn't bestow upon himself), sat down with Allison Barber, an NBC News correspondent and host of the Netflix original podcast "Allegedly," produced by NBC News Studios. Their discussion delved into the fascinating journey of Dateline, from its early days to its current focus on true crime, and the profound impact it has had on both its audience and the criminal justice landscape.

From Political Reporter to True Crime Aficionado

Mankiewicz began by recounting his unexpected path to becoming a prominent figure in true crime. He admitted that he "did not want to start covering these cases" when the idea was first proposed by then-executive producer David Corvo. Having spent 10 years at Dateline covering a variety of stories within an hour-long format, Mankiewicz initially doubted the audience's appetite for extended murder case coverage. "I was thinking like, nobody's gonna want to watch that," he recalled. His background was rooted in political reporting, starting in journalism 50 years prior, covering the US House for three years in the late 70s. He viewed covering Washington as the "be-all and end-all of journalism," aspiring to be a White House correspondent. However, a pivotal moment arrived with the story of Brianna Denison, a young woman who vanished and was later found murdered. Covering her story, and the subsequent follow-up when new information emerged, was the first time Dateline dedicated an hour to a murder case. Mankiewicz found an unexpected satisfaction in covering the story in a way he hadn't anticipated, and the audience's reaction solidified the shift. "We were kind of off and running because all the other stories were getting a sort of similar response," he explained. This realization led him to understand that to truly comprehend "human emotion," "love and hate and greed and lust," and "the things that drive people," one needs to be covering crime. This newfound purpose has made his work "very, very, very satisfying."