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The Arts Intel Report

A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler

Who Trolled Amber?

It started with a 2018 op-ed in The Washington Post, in which Amber Heard alleged she was a victim of domestic abuse. In response, her ex-husband Johnny Depp promptly sued Heard for defamation to the tune of $50 million dollars. Heard then countersued him for $100 million. The subsequent legal battle dominated the headlines, with some calling it the biggest celebrity court case since O. J. Simpson’s 1994 murder trial. A new podcast goes beyond the salacious facts of the case itself to focus instead on the surprising furor directed towards Heard on social media. Digging deeper into a trove of Tweets, comments, and posts, host Alexi Mostrous uncovers a sinister trend: many of the accounts attacking Heard were bots. Who Trolled Amber investigates a vast, orchestrated, automated campaign of hate, and the way the manipulation of algorithms can influence courts of law. —Paulina Prosnitz

Photo courtesy of Tortoise Media