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.