How to Stand Up to a Dictator - October 12th, 2023

Guest Lecture Reflection.

Maria Ressa is one of two journalists in history who have won the Nobel peace prize. Her memoir ‘How to Stand up to a Dictator’ is evidence of her fearless and lifelong sacrifice for journalistic truth. Ressa’s reporting defends media freedom no matter the cost, while remaining grounded in incontrovertible facts.   

She writes “…ultimately the quality of a democracy can also be seen in the quality of its journalists” (p.69).

Reading Ressa’s memoir was thrilling — meeting her in person, was an honor. Although our personal stories differ considerably, we share a similar vision. It’s one built on determination, and shaped by a tendency to question authority.  

One question in particular that I was eager to ask Ressa face-to-face regarded the role that nationality and identity plays in journalism:

“I have a mixed background and I hold multiple citizenships. I have been told by several publications that I cannot tell stories from places that I am not a citizen of, even if I have spent significant time there.

I understand, and agree, with the sentiment behind these comments, given that much of media today is dominated by western narratives and by journalists who speak about places to which they are not from.

However, for places for instance where there is so much censorship that citizens are not allowed to tell their own stories—how can journalists ethically tell stories on behalf of other people, ensuring they are making space for local narratives, and how can journalists credibly tell stories about places from where they are not from?”

Ressa received my question with a smile. She then told me that whoever declined my work based on my background was not worth my time. Integrity of facts is crucial, and as long as you’re honest, says Ressa, every journalist is unique and “that alone makes you qualified to tell stories.”

Sadly, Ressa’s expansive body of work demonstrates just how dangerous honest reporting can be—she now faces years of imprisonment in the Philippines, she is currently on bail, awaits seven additional legal charges, and wears a bulletproof vest when traveling.  

Throughout her life, Ressa has made clear the perils of disinformation. However, after reading her memoir, I was left feeling unclear out how we can effectively rectify this predicament. What are realistic alternatives to social media, at this point?

It’s clear that social media and technology dominates our lives—and it’s unlikely for this to suddenly change. The questions I ponder lie in how we can best move forward today, given the current circumstances. What degree of media censorship is ethical, and who should decide what is disinformation and misinformation, especially given advancements AI? What role should governments play in moderating information warfare?

Most importantly, given the pervasiveness of dishonest information, I wonder how we can maintain democracies. Democracies rely on integrity of facts to produce fair and free elections.

In the last chapter of her memoir, Ressa outlines four “layers” - accountability, research, mesh, and fact-checking - that her own news organization and website, Rappler, uses to “battle for democracy.” She provokes readers to imagine a world in which all social media platforms were held to these same standards. Surely it is not plausible to think that these values will be accepted and integrated into already existing platforms which run for profit, without considerable pushback. For this reason, we need policies to enforce better standards.

Secretary Clinton and Ressa both pointed to the European Union as an exemplar organization pushing for stricter technology regulations. EU laws are one small step towards a very large problem. Not to mention, the EU accounts for just 6% of the world’s population.

I would be more optimistic if there were clear and universal protocols. The private ownership of social media platforms pose significant regulatory challenges; improving the disinformation ecosystem online requires cooperation from all sides.

In the meantime, I do hope more journalists like Ressa will continue to sacrifice for the truth. I certainly plan to support this mission through my own reporting.