Could “fact checkers” be coming to streaming services? UK culture secretary lashes out at “The Crown” accuracy

“Fact-checking” could be coming to TV drama - lest viewers start thinking they are watching a documentary, or perhaps a news program.

In particular, many who are currently up in arms in the UK over what they say is inaccurate portrayal of the royal family in the Netflix series, The Crown, seem to have little faith that viewers will be able to tell the difference on their own.

For that reason, UK Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has joined those who want Netflix to make it absolutely clear that this work of fiction is just that, fearing that otherwise, the perception of the royal family might suffer irreparable consequences by people taking every twist of plot and dialogue as factual representation of what had happened.

A part of the problem seems to be that the series' screenwriter, Peter Morgan, is seen as a proponent of republicanism (i.e., anti-monarchy) in the UK, and that his script shows it. A friend of Prince Charles has been quoted making this statement, while Charles himself is seen as the one whose reputation would be damaged the most from any wrong perceptions stemming from this TV drama.

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