A&E has canceled their new KKK-centered show in response to the news that some producers had paid KKK members for their participation in the show.
A&E responded to the news by apologizing to the many organizations they had previously spoken to and assured that no compensation had been provided, saying that the work was a documentary and far different from the network’s popular (but cheesy) reality tv shows.
When it was revealed that reality television channel A&E was planning to focus on a new subject, the KKK, many responded in outrage and said that the show would only normalize and glorify the hate group.
In response to the outcry, A&E tried to make it clear that the show was about members of the KKK who wanted out – and even changed the title of the show to a more clear, “escaping the KKK.”
In the two-minute ad released on the show, the 14-year-old daughter of the Grand Wizard is clearly at odds with her father’s racist career path. The struggle is clear between the overbearing father and the daughter who wants a less racial path.
And yet that still wasn’t enough because later it was discovered that not only was the television network giving a hate group air time, but that they paid them for the honor.
Referring to the project as a “documentary,” A&E said that they had told organizations previously that no money had changed hands, when in fact that was a misrepresentation.
“While we stand behind the intent of the series and the seriousness of the content, these payments are a direct violation of A&E’s policies and practices for a documentary. We had previously provided assurances to the public and to our core partners—including the Anti-Defamation League and Color of Change—that no payment was made to hate group members, and we believed that to be the case at the time. We have now decided not to move forward with airing this project.”
It is a relief that A&E has made the proper call on this show. While no doubt interesting, it provides far too much humanization and glorification of a growing hate group.
