Just how much Polkinghorne is enough Polkinghorne?

Today it was announced that South Pacific Pictures, together with UK based production companies, are developing an original limited drama series "The Mysterious Death of Pauline Hanna".

I wonder what Pauline would say if she could see the outcome of her death. 

Firstly, her life was laid bare, her personal life forensically picked apart, discussed and judged in an eight-week court trial. A court case that was thoroughly covered by the media. 

Since then, it was announced there would be a three-part documentary series, funded by New Zealand On Air to screen at some point on ThreeNow, then we had the Tui billboards, and now we have the dramatization. 

That's a lot of people making money off the tragic story of the death of a woman. 

I totally understand why this is happening and get the appeal... you only have to look at how much this case captivated the nation. It's a universally appealing story filled with intriguing characters, scandals, sex, and drugs - let's be honest, you couldn't have come up with this story if you tried. 

But there needs to be more to it than capitalising on a scandalous story. 

As I aid after the documentary was made public, there is a fine line between examining the facts and revealing something meaningful, and preying on a victim's tragedy for entertainment's sake.

The line in the press release that caught my attention was this: "By presenting the facts of the case in a responsible, forensic, and non-judgmental way, The Mysterious Death of Pauline Hanna will let the audience decide."

Is that not what a court case is for? Okay - quite a bit of judgement was passed in that court case. But if you followed the court case, and remember Mr Polkinghorne was found not guilty, you have already probably made up your own mind on what happened. 

Do we need dramatization? Haven't we had enough?

There is a place for true crime documentaries, podcasts, and dramatizations - they can be a powerful way to tell cautionary tales, and question our justice system and treatment of victims. 

Just look at the Grace Millane documentary streaming on Netflix - The Lie: The Murder of Grace Millane. 

This is a documentary that adds context to the story, reveals new information and footage, was delivered at a respectful time after Grace's death and most importantly, respected the victim and her family. 

At a time when the local production industry is hurting, it's good to hear about new productions with international funding. 

But if South Pacific Pictures goes ahead with this ratings winner, there is still an ethical obligation to do it with care and consideration for the victim, their family and friends.