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.
Confronting our feelings and giving them appropriate expression always takes strength, not weakness. It takes strength to acknowledge our anger, and sometimes more strength yet to curb the aggressive urges anger may bring and to channel them into nonviolent outlets. It takes strength to face our sadness and to grieve and to let our grief and our anger flow in tears when they need to. It takes strength to talk about our feelings and to reach out for help and comfort when we need it.
My mother is a very strong woman. We were seven kids; five of them passed away. My elder brother and I are alive. My mother lost five kids, her husband, her parents and siblings. But she is so strong, she is living for the people who are alive.
My own feeling is that one should refuse to participate in any activity that implements American aggression - thus tax refusal, draft refusal, avoidance of work that can be used by the agencies of militarism and repression, all seem to me essential.
I saw them with my bodily eyes as clearly as I see you. And when they departed, I used to weep and wish they would take me with them.
... resistance to tyranny is man's highest ideal.
It's normal that there be fear, in every man, the important thing is that it be accompanied by courage
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