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.
Brian Knappenberger is an award-winning filmmaker whose most recent film, CHURCH AND THE FOURTH ESTATE, premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. His previous work includes NOBODY SPEAK: TRIALS OF THE FREE PRESS (2017), the docuseries TRUTH AND POWER (2016), and the acclaimed documentary THE INTERNET’S OWN BOY: THE STORY OF AARON SWARTZ (2014), which won the Writers Guild Award for Outstanding Documentary Screenplay. Knappenberger has directed and produced other investigative documentaries for PBS, Pivot, Bloomberg Television, National Geographic, and The Discovery Channel. His Los Angeles-based production company, Luminant Media, specializes in telling compelling public-interest stories.