When a Nobel Peace Prize holder talks about the power of free speech and freedom of expression, it should be an invitation for all of us to take a minute and listen. But to be real, these folks don’t always get the mainstream media attention their ideas deserve. That’s part of why it’s so cool and exciting when late-night shows get these people on air.
One recent example comes to us from a recent episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert where Colbert interviewed journalist Maria Ressa. Ressa, who serves as the CEO of Rappler, a Philippines-based news outlet, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021 (alongside Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov). Among other things, Ressa exposed Rodrigo Duterte’s authoritarianism and abuses of power when he served as president of the Philippines.
While global politics and world history are undoubtedly valuable for all of us to learn, period, Ressa breaks down exactly why Colbert’s (largely) American audience needs to understand the parallels between the rise of authoritarian regimes, misinformation, and social media…. And if you’re guessing she’s going to talk about the Jan. 6 insurrection, you’re absolutely right.
The entire segment is just under ten minutes, and well worth the watch, but let’s dig into the social media-specific analysis below. It’s about three minutes and trust me, it doesn’t get much more succinct and poignant than this.
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“Authoritarians, dictators, and social media companies,” Colbert begins. “How are they connected in ways we don’t often think about?” And whew, does Ressa have an answer.
“One enables the other,” Ressa replies. “You know, there’s a reason why 60% of the world today is now under authoritarian rule. The number of democracies globally has been rolled back to 1989 levels.”
“In 2016,” Ressa continues. “I stood up and I said: We demand an end to impunity on two fronts. Rodrigo Duterte, our president in the Philippines; his brutal drug war, and the second is Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook. Because in the end, what happened in the Philippines would not have happened if Facebook wasn’t there. 100% of Filipinos on the internet are on Facebook. Facebook is our internet.”
“In 2016,” she recalls, “I said: America, look at us. What is happening to us is coming for you. When I saw January 6 happen—violence on Capitol Hill—something we have never seen before, but the same methodology, bottom-up social media lies. A fact becomes a lie. Or a lie said a million times become a fact. So, you can’t distinguish! Then it comes top-down from the government, from the president himself. Then you have no idea where truth lies. In our case, all of a sudden, society was splintering. And how do you react?”
“Three sentences I’ve said repeatedly since 2016,” Ressa adds. “If you don’t have facts, you can’t have truth. Without truth, you can’t have trust. Without these three, we have no shared reality. We can’t solve any problems. We have no democracy. That’s what social media has done. It’s come in and used free speech to stifle free speech.”
And Colbert? He listened and learned. (Ressa, along with obviously being brilliant, is an entirely compelling speaker, too.)
Here’s that clip.
You can check out Ressa’s full segment below.
YouTube Video
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One recent example comes to us from a recent episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert where Colbert interviewed journalist Maria Ressa. Ressa, who serves as the CEO of Rappler, a Philippines-based news outlet, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021 (alongside Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov). Among other things, Ressa exposed Rodrigo Duterte’s authoritarianism and abuses of power when he served as president of the Philippines.
While global politics and world history are undoubtedly valuable for all of us to learn, period, Ressa breaks down exactly why Colbert’s (largely) American audience needs to understand the parallels between the rise of authoritarian regimes, misinformation, and social media…. And if you’re guessing she’s going to talk about the Jan. 6 insurrection, you’re absolutely right.
The entire segment is just under ten minutes, and well worth the watch, but let’s dig into the social media-specific analysis below. It’s about three minutes and trust me, it doesn’t get much more succinct and poignant than this.
RELATED: The real reason the dentist and eye doctor aren't covered by our health insurance plans
Campaign Action
“Authoritarians, dictators, and social media companies,” Colbert begins. “How are they connected in ways we don’t often think about?” And whew, does Ressa have an answer.
“One enables the other,” Ressa replies. “You know, there’s a reason why 60% of the world today is now under authoritarian rule. The number of democracies globally has been rolled back to 1989 levels.”
“In 2016,” Ressa continues. “I stood up and I said: We demand an end to impunity on two fronts. Rodrigo Duterte, our president in the Philippines; his brutal drug war, and the second is Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook. Because in the end, what happened in the Philippines would not have happened if Facebook wasn’t there. 100% of Filipinos on the internet are on Facebook. Facebook is our internet.”
“In 2016,” she recalls, “I said: America, look at us. What is happening to us is coming for you. When I saw January 6 happen—violence on Capitol Hill—something we have never seen before, but the same methodology, bottom-up social media lies. A fact becomes a lie. Or a lie said a million times become a fact. So, you can’t distinguish! Then it comes top-down from the government, from the president himself. Then you have no idea where truth lies. In our case, all of a sudden, society was splintering. And how do you react?”
“Three sentences I’ve said repeatedly since 2016,” Ressa adds. “If you don’t have facts, you can’t have truth. Without truth, you can’t have trust. Without these three, we have no shared reality. We can’t solve any problems. We have no democracy. That’s what social media has done. It’s come in and used free speech to stifle free speech.”
And Colbert? He listened and learned. (Ressa, along with obviously being brilliant, is an entirely compelling speaker, too.)
Here’s that clip.
You can check out Ressa’s full segment below.
YouTube Video
Trump and his MAGA extremists are not going anywhere, but neither are we. Chip in $5 to help Daily Kos fight to defend democracy and all progressive values