Alex Gibney

uh prevent me from from getting to the end so you know we alexis and i had to proceed um you know for some time in in secret but you know it was uh i i felt it was really important material and really important to get it out good for you how hard was it to raise the money

was hard but but not as as it turns out impossible so and there were a number of people who also once they were able to to see a little bit of of what we had um came forward and um um and and uh and helped so so yeah we were able to do it i mean it was but it was

It was mining a different source.

It wasn't the traditional way where you go to your bureau chief and you say, please give me the resources of the corporation and let's go get this story.

I don't know.

I think that we live in a moment where people all over the world, including in this country,

making it difficult for independent voices to be heard.

So, yeah, I reckon with that.

But I feel like even though, and I'm glad, you know, TCN is showing BB Files on its network, and it has had, you know, pretty good international distribution.

The distribution here has been somewhat handicapped.

I think one of the problems is that the market in general is controversy averse.

You have a number of streamers who don't want to upset their viewers.

You have news organizations, which in this case, as I've documented, also didn't want to be on the wrong side of an issue that might upset people.

I mean, it seems to me that the job, because I do think that four years ago,

um roughly speaking you know if i had gone out into the marketplace with the bb files there would have been a bidding war but now it's kind of just the opposite it's like we don't want to do anything that might upset people because then they won't buy sneakers or they won't buy ipads um you know so that's part of it and i and i think part of it is that

um controversy has become problematic and also powerful political figures um are exerting influence on broadcasting outlets to toe the line and sometimes if you're not uh

you know, you don't have a regular show, you don't get a hearing.

So it's a problem.

It's a really big problem.

I think the, you know, while I'm critical of the mainstream press, particularly in this instance, you know, I believe strongly in the idea of a free press.