THE DISSIDENT
Cert 15 ★★★★★ Streaming at glasgowfilm.org from tomorrow until Tuesday
It seems reports of the death of investigative journalism have been greatly exaggerated. While it may not fit with the clickbait culture of many online news outlets, this time-consuming enterprise is entering a golden age thanks to home-streaming platforms.
Like The Collective, Athlete A, and Assassins, The Dissident is a gripping, meticulously researched documentary that plays like a true crime thriller.
Bryan Fogel examines the assassination of Saudi Arabian writer and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.
Using expert analysis, first-hand sources, bugged recordings and touching interviews with his Turkish fiancee Hatice Cengiz, Fogel traces the murder of one of the Saudi regime’s most vocal critics to the inner circle of the nation’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
His conclusion won’t come as a shock to anyone who has followed the story but how he gets there is packed with surprises. The film reveals how the Saudi establishment uses trolls to drown out opposition on Twitter, the country’s most popular social media platform, and employs complicated spyware to bug and track opponents on their smartphones.
Shockingly, it’s not just Saudi nationals who are monitored. As the owner of the Washington Post, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos was considered a legitimate target.
But Fogel doesn’t forget the human angle. Khashoggi comes across as warm, affable and big-hearted, a trusting man who couldn’t believe his own government would stoop so low.
ESSEX family The Baggs have been dropped from Gogglebox, Hot TV can reveal.
Mum Lisa, dad Terry and their sons George and Joe have left the hit Channel 4 show after just one series.
An insider said: “The Baggs family are out of the show and won’t be appearing any more.
“They only lasted one series. It was short and sweet.”
The move comes after the family were hit by a backlash.
After joining Gogglebox last year for its 16th series, they were slated by some viewers on social media.
One said: “The Baggs family comments are pointless: ‘Oh I love this,’ ‘Oh I hate that.’ No value added at all.”
Another said: “How annoying are The Baggs family on Gogglebox.”
Only a handful of clips of the family were aired by producers.
And now they have been quietly dropped from the lineup of families for the current run. But show bosses haven’t ruled out bringing them back.
Our insider added: “The Baggs are on good terms with producers so there will always be a possibility that they’ll return at some point.”
Channel 4 failed to respond to requests for comment last night.
Gogglebox continues tonight at 9pm on Channel 4.