X
- 2017
- TV-14
- Netflix
- 1 h 35 m
- 2017
- TV-14
- Netflix
- 1 h 35 m
Summary The trial between Hulk Hogan and Gawker Media pitted privacy rights against freedom of the press, and raised important questions about how big money can silence media. This film is an examination of the perils and duties of the free press in an age of inequality.
Directed By: Brian Knappenberger
Written By: Brian Knappenberger
- 2017
- TV-14
- Netflix
- 1 h 35 m
- 2017
- TV-14
- Netflix
- 1 h 35 m
Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press
68
2.9
Where to Watch
Summary The trial between Hulk Hogan and Gawker Media pitted privacy rights against freedom of the press, and raised important questions about how big money can silence media. This film is an examination of the perils and duties of the free press in an age of inequality.
Directed By: Brian Knappenberger
Written By: Brian Knappenberger
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 14 Critic Reviews
68
86% Positive
12 Reviews
12 Reviews
14% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 14 Critic Reviews
68
86% Positive
12 Reviews
12 Reviews
14% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Knappenberger crafts a compelling and infuriating tale of big money flouting freedom of speech in an era where freedom of speech (thanks in part to social media) has become more democratized and, perhaps, more dangerous than ever.
This documentary is an invigorating, disturbing portrait of the arrogance and sinister self-importance of rich people, bullying politicians and their battalions of lawyers.
User Score
Generally Unfavorable
Based on 14 User Ratings
2.9
21% Positive
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
14% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
64% Negative
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
User Score
Generally Unfavorable
Based on 14 User Ratings
2.9
21% Positive
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
14% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
64% Negative
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
The press is the only real outlet for truth otherwise the truth is just what the "establishment" and those who benefit the most to distort the "truth" want you to think.. Look above the delivery and you'll see this doc drives that message home.
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Although the message of the documentary is commendable and very important in the current media climate, the delivery of this message at times feels preachy and overbearing.
I think an opportunity was lost in not engaging more, and more diverse, opinions and viewpoints from the media industry to contribute to the overarching theme.
The film also ended up focusing on too large, and too many, a topic, which diluted the overall impact the first half of the film had.
All in all, an interesting watch that has been put together very well, although I feel could have been more impacting with a narrower focus.
Report
Nobody Speak is a little unbalanced, and top-heavy, thanks to the overwhelming focus on the more murky Gawker trial.
Nobody Speak drifts at times and lacks sweep and historical perspective. But it is a troubling foreshadowing of things to come if journalists are threatened, sidelined or attacked by powerful institutions and people more concerned with their own interests than what’s best for the country or communities.
The issues it addresses are of massive importance.
It has the feel of a late-night conversation at a college party, full of good ideas but lacking focus.
Just because Nobody Speak has a timely message doesn’t make it an ideal messenger.
What a jumbled mess!
I am giving this documentary a 2 because the issues it brings up need to be discussed and brought to the lime light, the problem is when you try to put abusive media, paper owners possibly having conflict of interest with the paper and the media being attacked as fake news into one subject and as victims.
The Hulk Hogan v Gawker was clearly a case of abusive media not caring for a citzen's privacy and how they use the First Amendment to abuse this situation. The second subject does not show the owner using his power to dissuade the news, instead just shows that, probably, every paper has an owner.
And in the end we have 2 minutes of trump attacking the press.
In the end the documentary shows one part of the media that feels like this: "When we attack we are using the First Amendment, when we are attacked we are victims of a societal conspiracy trying to destroy the media".
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it is a conman due to the fact that it starts as a hogan vs the press but it turns out to be a completely different thing. no problem with the topic per se but it is embarrassing and pathetic to use a fake trailer to push that documentary. that is also pretty hypocritical as it exactly is the main issue that this Netflix original deals with
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The new Netflix Original Nobody Speak: Trials of the free press starts out as a Hulk Hogan vs. Gawker story where it seems to start to go the way of man vs. abusive press. As the documentary progresses, one soon finds out this is not the case. It becomes a vehicle for spin as to why the powers that were at Gawker feel they were wronged for running with and publishing a selectively edited sex tape secretly made of Hulk Hogan and a radio jockey's slut wife. Most of the first 3/4 of the documentary covers the absolute beating Hogan and his lawyers continuously dish out to the people most liable at Gawker. All the while it also includes jabs here and there after the fact as to why Gawker should have been absolved of any wrongdoings and shielded by the First Amendment... of course straight from the mouths of the people directly responsible and their supporters. Throughout the program, there is an ever present Liberal shift going on that increases as the story progresses. CNN is prominently displayed at each turn with MSNBC in an attempt to coax the viewer to believe what is being said is backed up by other separate news organizations. A grand conspiracy-like connection is made and is suppose to be a huge shadow that mysteriously cost Gawker the trial although it has nothing to do with the case or deciding the case in court. No thought is ever given or considered on screen by the former news outlet as to the personal, intellectual, and professional damages that have been dealt to Hogan other than to mention there should have been more damage by additional footage being released. Once we find out the end result of the civil case and that Gawker will be closed and bankrupt the whole program shifts into a mix of anti-Trump and anti-Republican tirades and rhetoric. Videos are presented of the numerous run-ins between the media (mainly CNN) and Trump before and after the 2016 Presidential Election with selective editing and commentary full of disdain for Trump and his so-called shutting down of the press. The liberal views are front and foremost typically leaving out pertinent information. Although somewhat informative when guarding with skepticism, the documentary falls flat on its face trying to save face. The recent outing of the CNN brand of news unknowingly by its own anchors and producer pushing "nothing burger" fake news shines a bright light as to what this documentary is really about especially when they use so much of CNN's broadcasts. It is a desperate attempt at misdirection and to shift blame from those at Gawker who were held accountable. The writers and producers of the documentary as well as the various supporting cast of news editors, publishers, and reporters appear as fools, after the CNN debacle, pushing "nothing burgers" of their own and are no more credible in this reviewer's eyes than CNN.
Report
The documentary is painfully biased, making very few attempts at finding any kind of dissenting opinion and instead focused on journalists celebrating other journalists more like members of a cult than anything. It breaks down into 3 main parts. The first is a discussion of the Gawker/Hulk Hogan lawsuit from the perspective of Gawker and various journalists defending them with only a short section from the opposing attorney. It transitions into a second act focused on making Peter Thiel into the boogeyman before its third act about rich people buying media and how bad it is. By the end, it devolves into essentially a bunch of journalists circle jerking about how heroic and wonderful they are. It is borderline propaganda that refuses to look at itself critically and the journalists seem more like cult members than anything else.
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Production Company
Luminant Media,
Submarine
Release Date Jun 23, 2017
Duration 1 h 35 m
Rating TV-14
Genres
Awards
Sundance Film Festival
• 1 Nomination
Miami Film Festival
• 1 Nomination
Cinema Eye Honors Awards, US
• 1 Nomination
