Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson is a Journalist Now, According to Judge's Ruling
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson can now add "journalist" to his already-impressive resume, right above "actor" and "wrestler." In a plot twist which sounds like it could be the basis of his next movie, the new title comes courtesy of a Manhattan Supreme Court Judge, who ruled that Johnson qualifies as a reporter, and not a celebrity, within the specific context of a documentary he worked on in 2017.
Rock and a Hard Place examined the juvenile boot camps offered to young offenders in lieu of a prison sentence. Following the film's release, correctional officer Christy Laster, who appeared in the documentary, was charged with extorting cadets, stealing their belongings, and accepting bribes. Laster's defence team subpoenaed HBO, stating that outtake footage from the film would prove her innocence, and claiming that "the involvement of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson rendered the project a ‘celebrity reality TV show’ as opposed to a ‘documentary’ entitled to protection."
HBO did not turn over the requested footage, quoting journalistic Shield Law, and the judge agreed that in this instance, as the producer of the film, Johnson is entitled to the same journalistic privilege as any investigative reporter under the statute's definition of a journalist.
"The statute very broadly defines a ‘professional journalist’ as anyone gathering ‘news intended for dissemination to the public’ in some sort of professional capacity,” the judge wrote in her ruling, as reported by Page Six. "Even if the project were more entertainment-focused… [It] would still likely apply as long as one of the purposes of the project was disseminating news to the public about the youth incarceration program."
If this has got you imagining what a movie might look like starring The Rock as a crusading journalist in search of the truth, you're not the only one. Although as Jezebel writer Frida Garza points out, the reality is a little less glamorous: "Soon his eyes will begin to strain from staring at screens, he’ll never go outside, and he’ll spend most of his spare time refreshing Twitter."
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