Reclaiming the Truth: Press Freedom with Maria Ressa

journalist and Time Magazine’s Person of the Year, will brief the community and press on her recent speaking engagement in San Francisco, which included top Democrats James Carville and Andrew Gillum. Ressa is the CEO of Philippine online news outlet Rappler. She was recently arrested for her organization’s critical reporting on Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte.Ressa, a Filipino American, told the audience that the Philippines’ experiences foreshadow what happens in the U.S. “The Philippines is now the tip of the arrow in a global fight for democracy - from the weaponization of social media against perceived enemies like journalists to weaponizing the law against (political opponents)- and most recently, me,” said Ressa.Ressa spoke on the parallels between Russian bots and pro-Duterte trolls that are weaponizing the internet, and how she holds social media giants Facebook and Twitter accountable as the new gatekeepers of truth. In the Philippines, internet trolls were part of Duterte’s election strategy, and are widely accepted as the reason for his election victory. Russian trolls and their role in Trump’s election are some of the subjects of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Russian interference in the 2016 election.Ressa’s media outlet Rappler is Facebook’s fact-checking partner in the Philippines.Ressa will also deliver a keynote address for the National Summit for Human Rights and Democracy in the Philippines this April 6-8 in Washington D.C. hosted by the Malaya Movement.