INVESTIGATION DISCOVERY EXPANDS RELATIONSHIP WITH EMMY AWARD-WINNING JOURNALIST TONY HARRIS
--Harris' Special Report on the State of Domestic Violence in the U.S., BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, to Premiere on ID in October; Documentary Series with the Southern Poverty Law Center to Debut in 2016--
-- ID Teams Up With NBC News' Peacock Productions to Produce Projects for Harris--
(Beverly Hills, Ca.) - Investigation Discovery (ID) announced today it has given greenlights to a documentary special and limited series, featuring the reporting of Emmy-winning journalist, documentary filmmaker, and Al Jazeera America anchor Tony Harris. Both projects will be produced by NBC News' award-winning production arm Peacock Productions. The first project, BEHIND CLOSED DOORS: SHOCKING SECRETS is a timely special report on the state of domestic violence in the U.S., set to premiere this October exclusively on ID. In addition, ID and Harris are once again teaming with the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), and its founder, Morris Dees to showcase iconic stories from the organization's case files in the all-new series AND JUSTICE FOR ALL (wt) that will premiere on ID in early 2016. The SPLC is a civil rights organization that has been fighting hate and bigotry through litigation and education, and tracking hate groups across the country for more than four decades. "Building on the tremendous success of the HATE IN AMERICA special we premiered last February, I've been looking for more opportunities to work with Tony, a journalist who puts his passion on the line with his reporting," said Henry Schleiff, Group President, Discovery Networks. "Timed to air during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Tony will go "BEHIND CLOSED DOORS" to provide a very intimate look at the unexpected victims of domestic abuse in this country. Furthermore, we're proud to be the television home for projects that shine a light on important, often overlooked aspects of our justice system. We are honored that Morris Dees and his team at the SPLC are working with Tony to provide in-depth reports of some of the most shocking and saddening hate crimes in the U.S.""I am grateful to Investigation Discovery for providing me with an amazing platform for these very important documentary projects," said Harris. "There are very few homes on television that allow for the compelling, in-depth storytelling that I am passionate about, and I look forward to working with the teams at ID and NBC News' Peacock Productions to bring these revealing stories to viewers."
About BEHIND CLOSED DOORS: SHOCKING SECRETS
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS: SHOCKING SECRETS is a revealing exploration of domestic abuse through its most unexpected casualties; uncovering cases that will jolt even the most jaded viewers. Domestic violence claims its victims regardless of socio-economic background, age and even gender. In this new one-hour special, Harris delves into this little-known and terrifying world, where the decision to leave the abuser is often the ultimate gamble between life and death.
About AND JUSTICE FOR ALL (wt)
Using the rule of law, founder Morris Dees and his team at SPLC have fought back against the hundreds of active hate groups across the United States for decades. There are nearly 800 active hate groups currently operating in our country, from KKK members, to racist skinheads, to neo-Nazis to, targeting entire classes of people for their race, religion, and sexuality, among other immutable characteristics. Dees and his team continue to give a voice to the voiceless, ensuring that the rights promised by the civil rights movement are realized and working to cripple some of America's most notorious hate groups. Each one-hour episode of AND JUSTICE FOR ALL (wt) will showcase a story from the SPLC's case files that has forever changed the face of hate
within our society.
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS and AND JUSTICE FOR ALL (wt) are produced for Investigation
Discovery by NBC News' Peacock Productions with Sharon Scott as President and GM and Elizabeth
Fischer, Knute Walker, and Benjamin Ringe as Executive Producers. For Investigation Discovery, Lorna Thomas is executive producer, Sara Kozak is senior vice president of production, Kevin Bennett is general manager, and Henry Schleiff is Group President of Investigation Discovery, Destination America, American Heroes Channel, and Discovery Fit & Health.
About Tony Harris
Tony Harris is a news anchor, television correspondent, and filmmaker currently anchoring Al Jazeera
America's (AJAM) 7pm newscast from Al Jazeera's US headquarters in New York City. Previously, Harris anchored the flagship Al Jazeera Newshour from the company's global headquarters in Doha, Qatar becoming
the first African-American anchor to be based outside the U.S. for a global news network. Before his current position, Harris anchored CNN Newsroom with Tony Harris for CNN and was a member of the teams that earned CNN George Foster Peabody Awards for coverage of the British petroleum oil spill and Hurricane Katrina, and an Alfred I. duPont Award for coverage of the Southeast Asia tsunami.
About The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC)
The Southern Poverty Law Center is dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of our society. Using litigation, education, and other forms of advocacy, the SPLC works toward the day when the ideals of equal justice and equal opportunity will be a reality. Founded by civil rights lawyers Morris Dees and Joseph Levin Jr. in 1971, the SPLC is internationally known for tracking and exposing the activities of hate groups. Its innovative Teaching Tolerance program produces and distributes - free of charge - documentary films, books, lesson plans and other materials that promote tolerance and respect in our nation's schools. The SPLC is based in Montgomery, Ala., the birthplace of the modern civil rights movement, and has offices in Atlanta, New Orleans, Miami, Fla., and Jackson, Miss.
About NBC News' Peacock Productions
Peacock Productions, a division of NBC News, is a nonfiction production company that combines the editorial expertise, technical resources, and seasoned talent of NBCUniversal to create series, events, and live specials for global audiences. Peacock Productions reaches more than 300 million people worldwide every year across broadcast, cable, syndication, and emerging platforms with its award-winning specials and series. Sharon Scott is the President and General Manager. For more information, visit: http://www.peacockproductions.tv/
About Investigation Discovery
Investigation Discovery (ID) is the leading mystery-and-suspense network on television. From harrowing crimes and salacious scandals to the in-depth investigations and heart-breaking mysteries that result, the "always revealing" network challenges our everyday understanding of culture, society and the human condition. One of our nation's fastest growing cable networks, ID delivers the highest-quality programming to nearly 86 million U.S. households and is available in both high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD). For more information, please visit InvestigationDiscovery.com, facebook.com/InvestigationDiscovery, or twitter.com/DiscoveryID. Investigation Discovery is part of Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the world's #1 pay-TV programmer reaching nearly 3 billion cumulative subscribers in 220 countries and territories.
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