Hulu apologises for promoting Breonna Taylor documentary on day officers were indicted over her death
Officer Brett Hankison was charged with wanton endangerment rather than murder
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Hulu has apologised for promoting a documentary about Breonna Taylor as it was announced that the police officer who shot her would not be charged with murder.
Taylor died in March after being shot by police while she slept in her home, with her death providing a further catalyst for the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests.
On Wednesday (23 September), Officer Brett Hankison was charged with three counts of wanton endangerment after the bullets travelled into a neighbours apartment, rather than murder for Taylor’s death. Two other officers were cleared.
The decision sparked outcry acoss the world, with a number of high profile figures speaking out against the ruling.
Just after the announcement was made, streaming service Hulu shared a tweet promoting their documentary The Killing of Breonna Taylor, which was made in partnership with FX and The New York Times and debuted on the platform on 4 September.
In one of the since-deleted posts, Hulu tweeted: “Breonna Taylor's life was changing. Then the police came to her door. #NYTPresents: The Killing of Breonna Taylor traces the missteps of the deadly raid. #FXonHulu.”
The streaming service later apologised, writing: “Earlier today, we promoted content that we felt would be meaningful in light of today’s events. That was, quite simply, the wrong call.
“We've taken the posts down and are deeply sorry. Thank you for holding us accountable – we will learn from this.”
However, activists shared their disgust at Hulu, accusing them of using Taylor’s trending name to promote their own project.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
“Y’all took ADVANTAGE of her name trending and HER STORY for YOUR RATINGS!!! If y’all wanted to do something meaningful you would have said JUSTICE FOR BREONNA TAYLOR,” one critic responded. “Is her family even involved in this ‘documentary’ or did y’all do this to hop on the ‘we care’ trend?!?!”
“It's almost like businesses don’t actually care about people’s feelings and are only sorry when they’re caught,” another wrote. “Weird, right?”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments