Pop CultureBy Ben Sieck on

A&E announced it is nixing its much-maligned upcoming documentary project focusing on the Ku Klux Klan Saturday following the revelation that some of the project’s producers paid show participants for increased access.

The show had a short but controversial life. The eight-hour project, originally titled Generation KKK, was initially perceived as a reality show focusing on the lives of KKK members. A&E received significant backlash for what appeared to be a project that would normalize a white supremacist hate group.

A&E initially doubled-down on its message that the show would be about children trying to extricate themselves from the hate group, and the anti-racism activists trying to combat the group. As a further show of its desired intentions, the cable channel released a statement on Friday that it would be changing the title of the series to Escaping the KKK: A Documentary Series Exposing Hate in America to better reflect the true nature of the work. A&E also announced that it would be partnering with African American civil rights organization Color Of Change in addition to the Anti-Defamation League to ensure the message of the program was clearly anti-hate.

However, in light of the recent news of producer misconduct, it seems the network had no choice but to spike the controversial project before it even aired.

At this point, this was the only sensible decision for the network. The further normalization of the KKK was a big enough concern, and any whiff of rewarding Klan members for increased access is even more unsavory and worrisome.

A&E did not say whether it thought the show’s producers might look for another outlet for the project, but it is hard to imagine another network touching it at this point.

[Photo: Jobs & Hire]

About Ben Sieck

Ben is a recent graduate of Butler University where he served as Managing Editor and Co-Editor-in-Chief for the Butler Collegian. He currently resides in Indianapolis.

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