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Joe Exotic to Drake: 6 times Netflix was called out for controversial, unauthorized content in documentaries

Cyntoia Brown recently called out Netflix for using unauthorized footage of her in a new documentary and it's the first time that has happened
UPDATED APR 17, 2020
(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

Abiding by these stay-at-home orders, we've resorted to the internet for entertainment and a whole lot of Netflix and chill (quite literally). It seems that the streaming giant has been catering to all of its users' tastes, but lately, it has also been heavily investing in some enthralling real-life based content. Netflix's documentaries have ensnared us all with bewitching visuals, impeccable scripting and its knack for introducing viewers to never-before-seen material. However, the credence of the content that the web streaming platform has been delivering to us has come under scrutiny. 

Later this month, Netflix is set to premiere its documentary on the Cyntoia Brown case. 'Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story' delves into the case of sex-trafficking victim, Cyntoia Brown, who was convicted for the murder of real estate mogul, Johnny Michael Allan, and sentenced to life imprisonment at 16 years of age. She came to national attention when her case brought to light over social media, and celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Rihanna backed her cause. They championed a campaign demanding leniency towards Brown's case because firstly, she was merely 16 and secondly, she had been through a traumatic experience prior to Allen's death by a gunshot wound. She was eventually granted mercy. 

Cyntoia Brown (Netflix)

However, Brown took to Twitter to reveal that the Netflix documentary is based on 'unauthorized' footage that she never consented for usage. "While I was still incarcerated, a producer who has old footage of me made a deal with Netflix for an UNAUTHORIZED documentary, set to be released soon. My husband and I were as surprised as everyone else when we first heard the news because we did not participate in any way", Brown tweeted

"However, I am currently in the process of sharing my story, in the right way, in full detail, and in a way that depicts and respects the woman I am today. While I pray that this film highlights things wrong in our justice system, I had nothing to do with this documentary," she added. 

In light of this scenario, this isn't exactly the first time Netflix has pushed a documentary on its platform that comprises unauthorized or controversial content. 

'Tiger King: Murder Mayhem and Madness' (2020)

Joe Exotic (Netflix)

Tiger King is a true-crime five-part documentary series that follows Joe Exotic, a big cat breeder from Oklahoma and his debauchery that ultimately led to his incarceration for murder for hire. While the series is enrapturing because of Joe Exotic's peculiar character and how he has the tendency to make himself look like a fool by his own courtesy, it also became a subject of backlash. Upon its release, the documentary received criticism from animal activists the world over who said that it only managed to sensationalize Joe Exotic, who is nothing more than an animal abuser who engaged in the illegal trade of the exotic animals that he bred. 

Furthermore, Carole Baskin, an animal activist, arch-nemesis of Joe Exotic and also the reason for his imprisonment, slammed Netflix in a blog post following the release of 'Tiger King' in March. She claimed that the streaming giant had lied in its portrayal of her. "The series presents this without any regard for the truth, or in most cases even giving me an opportunity before publication to rebut the absurd claims", she elaborated in a post on her website, BigCatRescue.org. "They did not care about truth. The unsavory lies are better for getting viewers."

'The Goop Lab' (2020)

Gwyneth Paltrow attends the goop lab Special Screening in Los Angeles, California on January 21, 2020

Netflix stirred controversy for promoting Gwyneth Paltrow's show 'The Goop Lab', which according to critics is to do with "pseudoscience." The show, which debuted in January, covers wellness topics that span energy healing, psychic mediums, orgasm workshops, taking psychedelic drugs as a form of therapy and immersing oneself in freezing water to stimulate immunity. 

The Daily Beast labeled the show "a nightmare", while Time Judy Berman wrote, “As with the brand itself, what’s disturbing about the show is that when you combine Gwyneth’s aura of trustworthiness with a mishmash of real science, New Age nonsense, vague female empowerment rhetoric, naked commercialism and some startling knowledge gaps in areas where Goop claims expertise, the result has its unique dangers.” The show basically got called out for the lack of experts to legitimize the safety of some of the practices that the show was promoting and Netflix received backlash for its "anti-science documentary" being scientifically indefensible.

'The Devil Next Door' (2019)

(Netflix)

'The Devil Next Door' is a true-crime documentary about a Ukrainian man named John Demjanjuk, who became a naturalized American citizen in 1958 and was later accused of being the notorious Ivan the Terrible, a Nazi concentration camp guard. In the film, Netflix included and unauthorized map made in 1985, attempting to highlight the areas where the Nazi death camps were located in the modern Polish borders.

However, Polish Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki complained about the inclusion and Netflix had to later agree to specify on the map that these camps were located in the Nazi-occupied territory and not the entire country of Poland. The move was also criticized for possibly legitimizing a 2018 Polish law which prohibits the way of referring to the Holocaust. 

'Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator' (2019)

(Netflix)

Netflix also faced legal action for its controversial documentary 'Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator', when a yoga college alleged that the streaming platform used their materials without their consent. The 90-minute documentary film centers on yoga master Bikram Choudhury and his abusive methods of teaching his yoga students. It features archival footage taken from inside the yoga sessions which garnered him public attention in the US. However, Ghosh's Yoga College based in Kolkata, India has alleged that the footage montaged in the documentary was used without permission and belongs to the college.

Immediate removal of the documentary was insisted by the college who said in a statement that "Netflix has blatantly violated copyrights of Yoga Cure Book by using extracts and photos from the book, and also their unapproved use of Ghosh’s Yoga College and Ghosh family photos. We demand such materials are removed from the documentary film, which they have taken without permission, and that a public apology is issued by all involved in this blatant act of copyright theft."

'Drake: Rewriting the Rules' (2018)

Drake attends the 'Top Boy' UK Premiere at Hackney Picturehouse on September 04, 2019, in London, England (Getty Images)

In 2018, Netflix, Amazon and various other streaming platforms released an unauthorized documentary on the life and career of Canadian singer and rapper, Drake, titled 'Drake: Rewriting the Rules.' It highlighted Drake's childhood through his journey to stardom through the TV show 'Degrassi' and his hip-hop career. 

However, no one close to Drake featured in the film and it only included interviews from media figures like Joe Levy, the contributing editor for Rolling Stone, Jason King, a winter and professor and Kathy Iandoli, a writer. The documentary has not been legitimised by Drake or his team. 

'The Magic Pill' (2017)

Chef Pete Evans of 'Hugos' arrives for the Nespresso CitiZ Launch on George Street on March 24, 2009, in Sydney, Australia (Getty Images)

Netflix released a health-related documentary starring celebrity chef Pete Evans, 'The Magic Pill', which claimed that a ketogenic diet comprising a high fat, moderate-protein, and low-carb meal could basically heal anything from autism to asthma and even cancer. The film stirred controversy and the Australian Medical Association (AMA) demanded that Netflix remove the "irresponsible" documentary from its platform.

Prior to the film, Evans was also criticized by the AMA for saying dairy removed calcium from bones and sunscreen was toxic. In addition, one of his children's cookbooks was stopped from being published after a recipe included in the book was found to possibly harmful and even fatal for babies. 

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