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.
We can make war so terrible and make them so sick of war that generations pass away before they again appeal to it.
The oak fought the wind and was broken, the willow bent when it must and survived.
I saw the bombs, and, like a kid, I looked back at them. Instantly there was fire everywhere.
Only the noble of heart are called to difficulty.
And when someone apologizes to you enough times for things they'll never stop doing, I think it's FEARLESS to stop believing them. It's FEARLESS to say "you're NOT sorry" and walk away.
I feel like I gave my son to this country in an illegal and immoral war, and I'll never get him back.
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