BBC, ITV, Channel 5, Channel 4, AMC, Hearst Networks (formerly A+E), Warner Bros Discovery have joined the Association of True Crime Producers’ new Broadcast Advisory Council (BAC) as founder members.
The council has been formed to forge closer links with channels and platforms in the true crime space. It provides a forum for feedback, thoughts and guidance on important issues and work with ATCP members to ensure the highest standards of production and duty of care.
Chaired by Ian Rumsey, Managing Director of Content, ITN, the Council met for the first time at the end of February and discussed duty of care, producers’ welfare and compliance among other topics.
The BAC will meet regularly throughout the year and it marks a step forward in the evolution of the ATCP and its members’ collective responsibility to uphold standards on- and off-screen and to offer guidance and support for producers.
Ian Rumsey, Chair of the Broadcast Advisory Council and ITN’s Managing Director of Content, said: “The ATCP has done some essential work setting up guidelines and supporting producers in this genre. Involving broadcasters is the logical next step. It’s so important producers and platforms work together.”
Jo Clinton-Davis, Controller of Factual ITV, said: “Crime docs proliferate because they play out as dramas with all the narrative twists and turns, but their very real protagonists are trusting us with their very real stories and most profound emotions. That requires us to share best practices and duty of care protocols across the TV industry.”
Sebrina Zeki, Director of Compliance and Di Carter, Commissioning Editor at Hearst Networks EMEA, said: “With the True Crime genre continuing to expand into the Factual Entertainment space, Broadcasters and Networks have ever more responsibility to ensure parity of ethics and care. These are important stories to tell and we have to ensure accountability and due diligence are forefront of our mind, not just on-screen but also from an industry perspective.”
Notes to editors:
About the Association of True Crime Producers
For more information contact:
ITN Productions Senior Publicist, [email protected]