The battle between the free press to pursue stories they believe to be in the public interest, and those who want to suppress coverage because it might be controversial, compromising, or embarrassing is an ongoing struggle. However, the forthcoming documentary “Nobody Speak: Trials Of The Free Press” highlights how that very important tug-of-war for the free press was tested in the strangest court case ever.
Directed by Brian Knappenberger, the film follows the lawsuit filed by Terry Bollea aka Hulk Hogan against Gawker, who published a segment of a sex tape featuring the wrestling having intercourse with his best friend Bubba The Love Sponge’s wife. Seriously, you can’t make this up. Here’s the synopsis:
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When the online tabloid Gawker posted a surreptitiously filmed sex tape of professional wrestler Hulk Hogan, it ignited a high-stakes legal battle that pit privacy rights against the first amendment. The staggering verdict bankrupted Gawker and its founder Nick Denton, but also exposed a shadowy figure behind the scenes — Silicon Valley venture capitalist Peter Thiel. Nine years earlier Gawker had outed Thiel on its site and the furious billionaire had been waiting for his chance to destroy them.
The Florida trial happened against the backdrop of a contentious election. Thiel’s battle with Gawker, along with Sheldon Adelson’s secretive purchase of the Las Vegas Review–Journal and President Trump’s treatment of journalists, portend a sinister trend threatening a free press and has brought to light a potential threat to democracy. Are the very wealthy thwarting the First Amendment to silence critics? In an age of extreme inequality, how vulnerable is a free press that has lost most of its traditional sources of income? Perhaps most frightening, what could a billionaire with the executive branch at his command do to those who have angered him?
The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this year and will land on Netflix on June 23rd.
