{{ subpage.title }}

Journalism on trial in the Philippines: interview with Maria Ressa

Ian Bremmer talks to embattled Filipina journalist Maria Ressa, CEO of the online news agency Rappler. Ressa and her team have been involved in a years-long legal battle that challenges press freedoms and free speech in the Philippines, as President Rodrigo Duterte continues to assert authoritarian control in his nation. In the conversation Ressa details the ongoing court battles that have her facing up to 100 years in prison if convicted. She also discusses Duterte's militaristic approach to COVID-19 response, and then issues strong warnings about social media's role in promulgating hate speech globally.

PRESS FREEDOM SOCIAL MEDIA anti-terror law authoritarian censorship coronavirus covid-19 response democracy digital news duterte facebook free press geopolitics gzero world hate speech ian bremmer international affairs journalism libel conviction maria ressa mark zuckerberg philippines president duterte press freedom rappler rodrigo duterte social media

Facebook allows "lies laced with anger and hate" to spread faster than facts, says journalist Maria Ressa

In a new interview with Ian Bremmer for GZERO World, embattled Filipina journalist and CEO Maria Ressa issues strong warnings about social media companies, and Facebook in particular, for their inability or unwillingness to control hate speech online. Ressa, who runs the online news site Rappler, has been involved in a prolonged legal battle in the Philippines that threatens press freedom and free speech in that nation.

The fight has been fueled, she says, by a weaponization of social media."Facebook and other social media platforms allow lies laced with anger and hate to spread faster and further than facts, which are really boring," she says.

The conversation, part of the latest episode of GZERO World, also focuses on her ongoing case and how, she says, President Rodrigo Duterte has used the COVID-19 pandemic to further his authoritarian agenda in the Philippines. The episode begins airing nationally on US public television Friday, July 17. Check local listings.

duterte facebook geopolitics global politics hate speech ian bremmer international affairs journalism maria ressa mark zuckerberg philippines political analysis

Can Facebook's algorithm remove hate speech? Meltdown-proof nuclear reactors

Nicholas Thompson, editor-in-chief of WIRED, discusses technology industry news today:

Do some of the Facebook's best features, like the newsfeed algorithm or groups, make removing hate speech from the platform impossible?

No, they do not. But what they do do is make it a lot easier for hate speech to spread. A fundamental problem with Facebook are the incentives in the newsfeed algorithm and the structure of groups make it harder for Facebook to remove hate speech.

Read Now Show less
anti-meltdown facebook facebook algorithm facebook groups hate speech mark zuckerberg meltdown-proof nicholas thompson parler social media tech twitter uranium wired in60seconds technology

Subscribe to GZERO Media's newsletter, Signal

Most Popular Videos

Latest