Nobody Speak

When the online blog Gawker posted an excerpt of a secretly filmed sex tape of professional wrestler Hulk Hogan, it ignited a high stakes legal battle that pitted privacy rights against the First Amendment. The staggering verdict in Bollea v. Gawker Media, a decision that bankrupted Gawker and its founder, is the subject of a new Netflix original documentary by Brian Knappenberger, Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press. Set against the backdrop of a contentious presidential election, the trial exposed a cast of shadowy figures working to influence the case's outcome, including Peter Thiel, the Silicon Valley venture capitalist and Trump transition team appointee who quietly bankrolled Bollea's lawsuit. More than a year later, after the verdict ruled in Bollea's favor and put Gawker out of business, the chilling effect is clear. As Donald Trump makes journalists his primary target on social media and wealthy businessmen continue to purchase newspapers across the country, the film explores what happens when American billionaires can subvert the First Amendment to silence their critics. Is the free press—and the health of our democracy—under threat? Join New America NYC for a screening of Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press followed by a conversation with Gawker's editors and other media and legal experts on the perils—and the responsibilities—of the free press in an age of alternative facts. PARTICIPANTS Brian Knappenberger @knappB Director and Executive Producer, Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press Elizabeth Spiers @espiers Founder, The Insurrection Founding Editor, Gawker John Cook @johnjcook Executive Editor, Special Projects, Gizmodo Media Group Former Executive Editor, Gawker Media Andrew McLaughlin @McAndrew Chairman, Access Now Former Deputy Chief Technology Officer of the United States Future Tense Fellow, New America Kai Wright @kai_wright Editor and Host, Narrative Unit, WNYC