Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press

In 2012, the celebrity gossip website Gawker published part of a video showing legendary professional wrestler Hulk Hogan having sex with the wife of his best friend, Florida radio shock jock Bubba the Love Sponge. Hogan -- Terry Bollea outside the wrestling ring -- sued Gawker for, among other things, invasion of privacy and emotional distress. NOBODY SPEAK: TRIALS OF THE FREE PRESS goes into the details of the case and the shocking discovery that Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel covered the millions of dollars in legal fees for Bollea, doing so to bankrupt Gawker for outing him as gay and for delving into one of his failed business ventures. From there, the documentary pivots to show what happened when Republican casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, under a thick cloud of secrecy, purchased the Las Vegas Review-Journal. These two occurrences highlight (1) the potential danger that exists when the moneyed elite decide to use their considerable wealth and power against stories, reporters, and media outlets they find to be unflattering, and (2) the impact on the freedom of the press and, by extension, democracy itself.