Protecting Democracy: The Battle That Matters

Comments by Filipino journalist & Nobel Prize winner Maria Ressa are both thought-provoking and inspiring

In the Pantheon of journalism, Scott Simon occupies a lofty spot. He’s well known as the longtime host of Weekend Edition Saturday on NPR and has performed other duties for that public broadcasting entity over the years—having begun his career in 1977 as its Chicago Bureau Chief.

I, on the other hand, do not occupy any spot in that temple of high regard. As the proprietor of a small-town weekly newspaper, I pretty much toil in obscurity—although possibly more people know who I am in our paper’s coverage area than they do Mr. Simon.

His reporting has taken him across the country and around the world, including covering several wars. My resume is comprised mainly of stories done in those areas Michigan where I’ve lived and worked, with the only conflicts being the testy verbal exchanges that occur on occasion at governmental board meetings.

The national and international news done by Simon and others at NPR is, of course, important and worthy of recognition, just as all those who work in local journalism play an important part in delivering information—be it through newspapers, radio, TV, and more recently social media sites.

I think, though, that even Simon would admit that Maria Ressa and others of her ink reside at the pinnacle of the hierarchy with the courage and tenacity they have shown as well as the great service and example they provide as journalists.

Maria Ressa, if you’re not familiar, co-founded Rappler, a news site that operates in the Philippines and has reported on the regime of former President Rodrigo Duterte, putting a spotlight on the corruption, malfeasance, and human rights violations that took place during his time in office. Duterte, while duly elected, operated in a repressive, strongman style.

Needless to say, her efforts did not go unnoticed by the powers that be. She faces several criminal charges and, if convicted, would likely be given a long sentence that might be longer in length than what remains of her life.

For her efforts in this oppressive environment, she received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021, along with Russian editor Dmitry Muratov who has operated under a similar threat.

While the Philippines has a new president, Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., the son of the former dictator who ran the country from 1965-1986, Ressa’s fate is not necessarily less dire since the style of governance and challenges to democracy seen with Duterte may well continue with Marcos.

In addition to operating her news site, she has written a new book How to Stand Up to a Dictator: The Fight for Our Future and it was to discuss its message--"the role of journalism in authoritarian states," including the use of misinformation on social media platforms and its impact on democracy--that brought her on Simon’s radio show this past Saturday (Nov. 26) via a phone interview.

In that conversation, she made several comments that I found both thought-provoking and inspiring--and wish to share.

Asked what she thought social media platforms “are doing to us,” she replied: “Creating our worst selves,” adding that “We know -- in 2018, MIT said that lies spread faster than facts, that if you see a lie, you are 70% more prone to share it, to retweet it, than a really boring fact. When you take that to its extreme, what does that mean? Lies are rewarded. So, we have created a situation where there are no facts. And without facts, you can't have truth. Without truth, you can't have trust. Without these three, we have no shared reality. You cannot have democracy.”

Simon, in his follow-up question, pointed out that it has been through social media and its  reach that allowed Rappler to do its reporting and gain influence.

Ressa agreed, noting that when her publication was created in 2011 “my elevator pitch is that we build communities of action, and the food we feed our communities is journalism.”  

That sentiment certainly echoes what many felt about this new technology in its earlier years; that it offered a forum of free expression and provided easier access to information.

But technology, like life, evolves.

What’s changed since then, according to Ressa, is that social media, through its various platforms, has become 'surveillance capitalism.'

Simon wondered if she was saying “when we become the product, in a sense, because everybody is putting together a database?”

To which she answered, “I think more than that, it's like we're essentially cloned. So, machine learning builds a model of you that knows you better than you know yourself. And then, they use AI (artificial intelligence) to take all of our clones, and that is the mother database for microtargeting. And when this happens, our emotions, or essentially our biology, is weaponized against us. Your view of the world is changed through your emotions."

In addressing that assertion, Simon said, “Of course, I don't have to tell you because you've had conversations with some of them. (But) the leaders of high-tech enterprises, of social media platforms will say, ‘look, we are a democracy. Everyone can participate. Everyone can have an account. Anyone, more or less, can say whatever they want. That's democracy’.”

Ressa countered this by stating “…it's not about freedom of speech; it's about distribution. It's about the fact that these platforms, because they make more money at it, distribute incendiary materials, lies laced with anger and hate, that those get greater distribution that repeatedly pound, essentially, free speech. In my case, I was pounded after we did this weaponization-of-the-internet series (in the Rappler) with an average of 90 hate messages per hour.”

She was also asked to elaborate on her statement, made in other interviews, that “whether we know it or not, the world is in a kind of World War III now."

She answered that it is a battle to preserve democracy.

“I started looking (at this) especially after the presidential elections of the Philippines—May this year--when we overwhelmingly elected Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the only son and namesake of our former dictator who was in power for almost 21 years. So, he was overwhelmingly elected partly because information operations starting in 2014 changed history in front of our eyes. It turned Marcos from a pariah into a hero. Then, you had all these other elections coming up and kind of the rise of the far right. The world is shifting geopolitically. And I keep saying we're in the last two minutes when you just look at the number of democracies globally. We have been rolled back to 1989 levels. Today, 60% of the world is under autocratic rule.”

In the final question of the interview, Simon—no doubt giving his fellow journalist a chance to be eloquent in stating her motives—put forth the option of an easier path. “You know, you could just come to the U.S. and be a talking head, write more books and have a good life.”

A life, he did not need to add, that might end in her imprisonment if she continues doing what she does. Or possibly physical harm.

She did not disappoint with her answer.

“I run a company called Rappler that has been forged in fire,” Ressa said. “We survived six years of Duterte. We continue to do investigative journalism. This is a high-stakes game of chicken. But I know we are standing on the right side, not just of history, but of the law. I'm not going to give up. I think this is the battle that matters.”

In naming the Filipino journalist and her Russian counterpart as the winners of the Nobel Peace Prize, the selection committee cited “their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace.” 

That sums it up as well as anything.

Whether you’ve earned a spot in the Pantheon with your deeds and actions or operate in relative obscurity, it is this cause that journalists serve—or should. It is the task of to providing the public, to the best of our abilities, with honest and accurate information. Because, as Resser said, “Without facts, you can't have truth. Without truth, you can't have trust. Without these three, we have no shared reality. You cannot have democracy.”

Steve Horton is a mid-Michigan journalist and editor-publisher of the 'Fowlerville News & Views'. If you liked this column, please share.