You either die a hero, or live long enough to become Gawker
Jul 16, 2017 13:35:27 GMT -5
robeiae likes this
Post by Optimus on Jul 16, 2017 13:35:27 GMT -5
I watched a documentary on Netflix last night called, "Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press," which is mainly about the Hulk Hogan v. Gawker trial, but also haphazardly tries to draw lines to Trump and the dangers of billionaires suing "the press."
I didn't know much about it going in, but it was hilariously biased in favor of Gawker. They interview several of Gawker's key players, including the founder, Nick Denton, and two former chief editors.
I'll make my bias be known up front: I've always considered Gawker to be nothing more than tabloid garbage - a bunch of horrible people trying way too hard to be cool by using unnecessary snark and mean insults to bully the victims of the trash they called "journalism." I am glad they got shut down and I think that the world is better off without a so-called "news" organization like that.
However, after watching this slanted documentary, even I was surprised at the stunning lack of self-awareness displayed by the Gawker higher-ups. The former executive editor, in particular, seems to have a borderline delusional view that Gawker did really important, heroic journalism that "spoke truth to power" and "took on corruption," while failing to realize that Gawker was, in fact, a corrupt organization of mean-spirited bullies/trolls masquerading as journalists. I can't tell if Gawker specifically hired people who were like-minded in their awfulness and astounding lack of morals, ethics, and integrity, or if they created a corporate culture there that eventually turned people into pieces of shit.
The documentary starts off decently but then seems to lose its focus as it shifts from slanted coverage of the Gawker story, to risible attempts at drawing misguided comparisons between the Gawker lawsuit and Trump's attacks on the media, then to pointless ad hominem mud-slinging against Peter Thiel because he helped fund Hogan's defense.
The overall message seemed to be that Gawker was a legitimate, respectable news organization (I laughed while typing that) that was fighting the good fight for a free democracy for the little guy, and that it all came crashing down because they were viciously attacked by some evil billionaire with an ax to grind, and that Gawker shuttering its doors is a harbinger of the moribund downfall of true journalism.
It truly is a hilariously deluded film. Has anyone else seen it?
I don't like Hulk Hogan at all and, to me, the Hogan/Gawker lawsuit was like watching two turds circling around a clogged toilet. But, I think tabloid-in-spirit, garbage organizations like Gawker are more harmful to society as a whole than a washed up professional wrestler way past his prime.
I also disagree with their point that Thiel helping to finance Hogan's defense was a sign that billionaires will start negatively influence journalism by destroying the "good" news organizations in court. If Hogan didn't have clear evidence that Gawker had acted like a festering pile of shit, then he wouldn't have won, no matter how much money went to his defense. And, it could also be argued that it sometimes takes a lot of money to take on multi-milllion dollar corporations, and Thiel's financing was proof of that.
But, to the docu's weak point about the potential for billionaires to negatively influence the news with lawsuits, I think the much bigger, and much more widespread problem, is the influence of billionaires and large organizations on the narrative spin given to the news, and the power to misinform the public that large media organizations already have and act on.
And, I'm not just talking about Fox News at the national level. The problem is arguably more widespread at the local news level, as expertly demonstrated here by John Oliver discussing the bias of all local news stations under Sinclair Broadcasting Group:
I didn't know much about it going in, but it was hilariously biased in favor of Gawker. They interview several of Gawker's key players, including the founder, Nick Denton, and two former chief editors.
I'll make my bias be known up front: I've always considered Gawker to be nothing more than tabloid garbage - a bunch of horrible people trying way too hard to be cool by using unnecessary snark and mean insults to bully the victims of the trash they called "journalism." I am glad they got shut down and I think that the world is better off without a so-called "news" organization like that.
However, after watching this slanted documentary, even I was surprised at the stunning lack of self-awareness displayed by the Gawker higher-ups. The former executive editor, in particular, seems to have a borderline delusional view that Gawker did really important, heroic journalism that "spoke truth to power" and "took on corruption," while failing to realize that Gawker was, in fact, a corrupt organization of mean-spirited bullies/trolls masquerading as journalists. I can't tell if Gawker specifically hired people who were like-minded in their awfulness and astounding lack of morals, ethics, and integrity, or if they created a corporate culture there that eventually turned people into pieces of shit.
The documentary starts off decently but then seems to lose its focus as it shifts from slanted coverage of the Gawker story, to risible attempts at drawing misguided comparisons between the Gawker lawsuit and Trump's attacks on the media, then to pointless ad hominem mud-slinging against Peter Thiel because he helped fund Hogan's defense.
The overall message seemed to be that Gawker was a legitimate, respectable news organization (I laughed while typing that) that was fighting the good fight for a free democracy for the little guy, and that it all came crashing down because they were viciously attacked by some evil billionaire with an ax to grind, and that Gawker shuttering its doors is a harbinger of the moribund downfall of true journalism.
It truly is a hilariously deluded film. Has anyone else seen it?
I don't like Hulk Hogan at all and, to me, the Hogan/Gawker lawsuit was like watching two turds circling around a clogged toilet. But, I think tabloid-in-spirit, garbage organizations like Gawker are more harmful to society as a whole than a washed up professional wrestler way past his prime.
I also disagree with their point that Thiel helping to finance Hogan's defense was a sign that billionaires will start negatively influence journalism by destroying the "good" news organizations in court. If Hogan didn't have clear evidence that Gawker had acted like a festering pile of shit, then he wouldn't have won, no matter how much money went to his defense. And, it could also be argued that it sometimes takes a lot of money to take on multi-milllion dollar corporations, and Thiel's financing was proof of that.
But, to the docu's weak point about the potential for billionaires to negatively influence the news with lawsuits, I think the much bigger, and much more widespread problem, is the influence of billionaires and large organizations on the narrative spin given to the news, and the power to misinform the public that large media organizations already have and act on.
And, I'm not just talking about Fox News at the national level. The problem is arguably more widespread at the local news level, as expertly demonstrated here by John Oliver discussing the bias of all local news stations under Sinclair Broadcasting Group: