The social media platforms have taken over the distribution of news globally. They treat a lie the same way you would treat a fact.
Maria RessaRead
Don't be afraid - if you don't exercise your rights, you will lose them.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of actively exercising one's rights to prevent their erosion.
Maria Ressa's quote serves as a powerful reminder that rights, whether they are civil liberties or other personal entitlements, require active engagement and defense. If individuals do not advocate for and exercise their rights, there is a risk that these rights will diminish or be taken away, highlighting the importance of vigilance and proactive involvement in safeguarding freedoms.
In practice
In a speech about civil rights, a speaker might say, 'As Maria Ressa reminds us, don't be afraid to stand up for your rights.'
The social media platforms have taken over the distribution of news globally. They treat a lie the same way you would treat a fact.
The difference between Rappler and other newsgroups in the Philippines is that journalists control Rappler both editorially and commercially. We make decisions that are bad for business but protect the public sphere.
If you want to rip the heart out of a democracy, you go after the facts. That's what modern authoritarians do. You lie. All the time. Then, you say it's your opponents and the journalists who lie.
Embrace your fear. Imagine what you're most afraid of, touch it and hold it so that you rob it of its power.
Let me go back to a fundamental thing we all used to agree on: information is power. That's why we became journalists in the first place.
Technology enabled Rappler's fast growth starting in 2012, but we were also among the first victims when social media was weaponized in 2016.
I want to do something, right here, right now, to shame them, to make them accountable, to show the Capitol that whatever they do or force us to do there is a part of every tribute they can't own. That Rue was more than a piece in their Games. And so am I.
I am a Christian; God sent me to fight evil for my people. Jesus was a revolutionist; so am I.
The murder of Sean Brown hurt my soul.
In an average day, you may well be confronted with some species of bullying or bigotry, or some ill-phrased appeal to the general will, or some petty abuse of authority. If you have a political loyalty, you may be offered a shady reason for agreeing to a lie or a half-truth that serves some short-term purpose. Everybody devises tactics for getting through such moments; try behaving "as if" they need not be tolerated and are not inevitable.
A fall from the third floor hurts as much as a fall from the hundredth. If I have to fall, may it be from a high place.
People are just afraid of things too much β¦ Sure, evil exists, extremism exists. Somebody could commit a hate crime and hurt me. But they could do the same just because I'm black. They could do the same just because I'm American.
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