Depp and Heard Fan Accounts Set Sights on Journalists Covering Trial

Johnny Depp may have won his defamation case against Amber Heard, but many of their fans are continuing to hold a grudge against journalists who covered the trial.

Depp won his multi-million dollar case against his ex-wife last week, claiming an op-ed she wrote in 2018 about being a survivor of domestic violence caused a huge loss of earnings in his career. The trial has continued to be covered by news media and the case is still being discussed across social media.

The actor's fans seemingly outnumbered those who stood with Heard throughout the trial, and the hashtags supporting Depp and disparaging Heard continue to dominate online. And now, some journalists are receiving hateful and threatening messages online as a result of their stories relating to the case.

Recent revelations have included that the court reporter, Judy Bellinger, was accused of being biased towards Depp's team after she was filmed "partying" with them after the case. She has since spoken out and explained her side of the story, but a Law&Crime journalist who reported on the incident has been dragged into the argument.

"You are intent on twisting and mischaracterizing what I said," Angenette Levy said in response to a Twitter user who called her "shamelessly vile." The exchange on Twitter started as a result of one user accusing Levy of favoring Depp, attending his "party" too, and consistently omitting coverage that painted Depp in a bad light.

Levy replied by saying she "reported the good, the bad and the ugly." The exchange drew in supporters of both sides and hundreds of comments were left throughout the Twitter thread.

Levy spoke to Newsweek about the spate of online hate she's been receiving recently. "If Amber Heard supporters wish to direct their ire at me, then fine. I can take it," she said. "I believe their anger is misplaced and that they need to step back and do some soul searching."

After stenographer Bellinger started to receive hateful messages online after the trial, that's where Levy drew the line. "What I won't stand for is the constant targeting of court stenographer Judy Bellinger. Her words are being twisted to fit a narrative and she doesn't deserve the vitriol being directed at her," Levy told Newsweek.

Unfortunately, receiving hateful messages isn't new for Levy.

"I received some messages that were negative during the trial but I was frankly so busy each day that I didn't have time to really read any of them. I was focused on covering the case and getting every detail right," Levy said.

"I am not surprised that I continue to receive these messages. I've been called 'a terrible person' and 'vile' and more. It is what it is. I know who is sending them so I consider the source," she said, adding that "I have also been called the c-word quite a few times."

She also shared with Newsweek an example of one of these messages that were sent this past Sunday.

Washington Post journalist Taylor Lorenz gained the ire of thousands of Depp's fans. Four days ago the columnist wrote about how much money content creators and social media influencers Alyte Mazeika and ThatUmbrellaGuy made during the trial. The article garnered hundreds of comments, some of which called her a "liar" and accused her of having "extreme bias." For this article, and many others throughout the near-two month trial, Lorenz received countless comments from Depp supporters.

Lorenz had to insert a correction into the article, but the situation blew up in the comments, on social media and on other news outlets that reported on it. Lorenz was forced to explain the situation in a multi-tweet thread on her now-private account.

"It's all about you, all about your self imposed importance and need for affirmation by trying to appease your echo chamber," one commenter wrote at Lorenz. The journalist is an active user of Twitter and regularly receives harsh comments on her posts. Another user accused her of being a "modern day social media evangelicals building their digital flocks."

After the verdict came in for the trial, Lorenz shared a Rolling Stone article about the fact that "hundreds" of domestic violence survivors have already retracted victim statements as a result of watching the Depp vs. Heard trial. Once again she was attacked in the comments. "This article sickens me" and "Are you being serious RN?" were just some of the messages Lorenz received.

Individual mainstream journalists aren't the only ones to have received criticism for their coverage of the trial; Today received negative messages online when they invited Heard's attorney Elaine Charlson Bredehoft to speak on the show.

A clip of Fox News host Jeanine Pirro was shared widely online as it featured her monologue supporting Depp. This clip was shared widely in the comment section as people claimed they'd rather watch Fox News than Today.

"I don't understand how you're proud of this interview, it was TERRIBLE," one viewer wrote while another called it "an embarrassment of an interview." Another pointed out that it was now only fair to hear from Depp's attorneys after having Heard's representative on air.

Newsweek reached out to Lorenz for comment.