IRP mentioned in HBO’s ‘Treme’

ProPublica reporter A.C. Thompson–-who works out of the Investigative Reporting Program offices and makes occasional guest appearances at the J-school-–recently got an education in television drama.  The creators of the HBO series Treme modeled a character on Thompson for the third season of the show, which debuted late last month. The character is an investigative journalist named L.P. Everett who is probing police misconduct in New Orleans; in real life Thompson spent more than three years looking into violence in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, producing stories that helped lead to criminal charges against seven current or former New Orleans police officers.

Thompson worked closely with television legends Eric Overmyer and David Simon to develop Everett, who is played by True Blood veteran Chris Coy.
For more on the creative process, check Thompson’s interview with San Francisco Magazine. And to catch references to the Investigative Reporting Program and the plight of the Oakland Raiders, check out Treme, which airs on Sundays on HBO.