Over two weeks have passed since a jury in Virginia sided with actor Johnny Depp and roundly rejected his former wife Amber Heard’s evidence in a defamation trial that gripped much of the world.
In their verdict, the jury of seven people found that both parties were liable for defamation – Depp was awarded more than $10 million in damages but Heard was also awarded $2 million for her countersuit.
During its six-week run, the Depp-Heard trial flooded American and international TV debates and morning news bulletin. And meanwhile, a highly curated version of that same trial was simultaneously playing out across social media.
But this trial had much higher stakes than just defamation – it was an examination of a messy celebrity marriage break-up which focused on issues like domestic violence, addiction, toxic relationships and the myth of the perfect victim.
Most of all, it highlighted on a frightening scale, how reactionary and toxic social media has become and how platforms like TikTok twist and influence people’s perception of truth and lies.
On today’s In the News episode, Irish Times features writer Jennifer O’Connell discusses how the narrative around the Depp-Heard defamation trial turned into a “mass outpouring of vitriol”, predominantly against Heard, and what this means for victims of abuse who are seeking justice.
“Whatever you think about Depp v Heard, and nobody really knows what happened between them, the truth is it’s only Heard who is being stripped to the bones by this rabid online mob that we’re seeing,” said O’Connell. “And I think the message that sends to victims of abuse is profoundly damaging.”
Today, on In the News, the vilification of Amber Heard and what it means for the future of MeToo.
In The News is presented by Sorcha Pollak and Conor Pope and produced by Declan Conlan, Jennifer Ryan and Suzanne Brennan.
