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.
Maria RessaRead
The social media platforms have taken over the distribution of news globally. They treat a lie the same way you would treat a fact.
Interpretation
Social media has a significant impact on how news is shared and received, often blurring the lines between truth and falsehood.
Maria Ressa's quote highlights the profound effect of social media platforms on the dissemination of news around the world. In an age where information spreads rapidly, these platforms can treat misinformation with the same level of visibility and engagement as factual news, leading to a distorted understanding of reality and challenging the public's ability to discern truth from falsehood.
In practice
In a keynote speech at a media conference, one could use this quote to emphasize the challenges journalists face today.
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.
In 14 months, my government, the Philippine 2 government, has filed 11 cases. I posted bail eight times, I've been arrested twice in five weeks, detained once, and the only thing I've done, my only crime is to be a journalist, to speak truth to power.
The computer is the most extraordinary of man's technological clothing; it's an extension of our central nervous system. Beside it, the wheel is a mere hula-hoop.
If I had time and a hammer, I'd track down every bootleg copy and smash it.
People want to talk to other people - not a house, or an office, or a car. Given a choice, people will demand the freedom to communicate wherever they are, unfettered by the infamous copper wire. It is that freedom we sought to vividly demonstrate in 1973.
Many of our own people here in this country do not ask about computers, telephones and television sets. They ask - when will we get a road to our village.
There were a lot of naysayers over the years. People would say, 'Why are we spending all of this money? Are you sure this cellular thing will turn out to be something?'
On the one hand information wants to be expensive, because it's so valuable. The right information in the right place just changes your life. On the other hand, information wants to be free, because the cost of getting it out is getting lower and lower all the time. So you have these two fighting against each other.
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