Review of Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press (2017) by Christy B — 03 Apr 2018

I am a progressive, but I have problems with this documentary. As a record of the Hulk Hogan v Gawker trial, it is informative. It also makes a good point that a billionaire like Thiel can bankrupt a media outlet.

However, it is hard to prove a 1t amendment case, and if there were no case, Bollea could not have won. The film had plenty of pro 1st amendment voices, but no voices defending right to privacy except Bollea.

When the film tries to tie Trump's attacks on the press to the case, it loses the thread of the argument. The media is devolving into conspiracy theory and outright falsehood as well as biased one-sided reporting.

The mainstream media were attacked by Trump but they are obsessed by him and basically bow down to him. People should beware that there is absolutely no reasonable expectation of privacy any more, even with the act of sex, the media can report incorrect information with no obligation to correct, hacking by foreign countries is considered okay as long as you are not the one being hacked, and people seem to believe the most outrageous claims without verifying whether they are true.

If journalists want to protect the first amendment, they should have some standards and vetting of information. Some still do, and they should continue to do so. We need a free press but a reasonably accurate press as well.

This documentary does not consider the real problem.