Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press on Netflix June 23

I never watched the footage of Hulk Hogan that is the linchpin of this documentary, but I have definitely witnessed the downward spiral of media trust in its aftermath. Gawker posted a lot of questionable content and salacious gossip, as its name might lead one to assume, but they also provoked mainstream media channels to ask tougher questions. I was sad to see them go, especially as the casualty of a rich dude's ego. Unpresidented…


Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press debuts on Netflix June 23

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?

Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press is directed and executive produced by Brian Knappenberger; produced by Luminant Media and SubLA; in association with The Filmmaker Fund and Field of Vision. The film premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.