The video features an insightful interview with a celebrated journalist sharing their experience and profound thoughts on various pressing issues facing journalism and society today. The journalist recounts their initial unforeseen journey into journalism and their passion for the profession that demands dual brain engagement, encouraging curiosity and vigilance toward global dynamics. They highlight the pivotal role of journalism in democratic countries, serving as a link between the government and the people, ensuring transparency, accountability, and freedom of speech.

Furthermore, the conversation delves into the critical difference between misinformation and disinformation, emphasizing the need for societal collaboration in combating disinformation. The journalist underscores the importance of civic engagement and proactive measures to protect democracy in the digital age, where technology influences societal behaviors. They compare societal responsibility to an honor code, promoting integrity and vigilance among individuals to foster a communal defense against pervasive falsehoods.

Main takeaways from the video:

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Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:

1. self-censorship [sɛlf ˈsɛnsərˌʃɪp] - (noun) - The act of censoring one's own work or speech, especially to avoid offending others. - Synonyms: (restraint, moderation, repression)

they had to learn to get over self censorship.

2. connective tissue [kəˈnɛktɪv ˈtɪʃuː] - (noun) - A concept referring to something that links or connects different parts. - Synonyms: (link, bridge, bond)

journalists are the connective tissue between governments and the power of the people.

3. disinformation [ˌdɪsˌɪnfərˈmeɪʃn] - (noun) - False information deliberately spread to deceive people. - Synonyms: (propaganda, misinformation, deceit)

very different from disinformation, which is like a push of power to manipulate you.

4. creative destruction [kriˈeɪtɪv dɪˈstrʌkʃən] - (noun) - A process by which new innovations destroy old industries or practices. - Synonyms: (innovation, disruption, transformation)

This is a fundamental, it's creative destruction.

5. pragmatism [ˈpræɡməˌtɪzəm] - (noun) - A practical approach to problems and affairs. - Synonyms: (realism, practicality, common sense)

I prefer pragmatism over cynicism.

6. catalyst [ˈkætəlɪst] - (noun) - An agent that provokes or speeds significant change or action. - Synonyms: (stimulus, instigator, trigger)

How can other people step forward to be a catalyst for change?

7. lifelong learning [ˈlaɪfˌlɔːŋ ˈlɜrnɪŋ] - (noun) - Continuous pursuit of knowledge and skills throughout life. - Synonyms: (continuous education, self-education, perpetual learning)

lifelong learning, I would say not just lifelong learning.

8. nuances [ˈnuˌɑːnsɪz] - (noun) - Subtle differences in meaning or opinion. - Synonyms: (subtleties, distinctions, intricacies)

The side of democracy sees all the nuances.

9. experiential [ɪkˌspɪərɪˈɛnʃəl] - (adjective) - Involving or based on experience and observation. - Synonyms: (practical, empirical, experimental)

The way you view the world is, for most of us, experiential.

10. attention economy [əˈtɛnʃən ɪˈkɒnəmi] - (noun) - An economic system where the attention of individuals is treated as a commodity. - Synonyms: (information economy, digital economy, media economy)

the challenge for you in an attention economy is the search for meaning.

Maria Ressa, Nobel Peace Prize 2021 - Official interview

Why did you decide to become a journalist? I fell into journalism, and I loved it as I was going through. Part of it was the times. The 1986 people power revolt had just happened. Filipinos were trying to understand what that means because, you know, like in the government station, for example, they had to learn to get over self censorship. And I was there. So I learned the Philippines through news. And then when my fellowship, it was a one year Fulbright fellowship, when it was about to end, one of the women I worked for said, why don't we create our own company? Which is what we did. So I went back to New York on that ticket. I bought equipment, and we started our own company, a startup, before startups were created. It challenges every part of you. Journalism challenges you to be your best, to do your best, to understand. Left brain, right brain, the world around you. How incredible is that?

Why is press freedom so important in countries like the United States, the Philippines, and most democratic countries around the world? The news organizations, journalists are the connective tissue between governments and the power of the people. And the people, right? And the power rests with the people. But that connective tissue holding, that's part of the reason you have to hold power to account. That's our task. You have to have the courage to ask the tough questions of people who can really make your life miserable. That also determines access. But you know that. Why do you ask tough questions? Because you are responsible to the public you serve. Journalists help make sure that governance is transparent, that leaders are held accountable, and that they are consistent. Freedom of speech in the Philippines is guaranteed in the Bill of Rights, as it is in the United States. It is the foundation of every single right that a Filipino has. Because if you don't have that on the citizen's part, if you don't feel like you can say what you think because you're going to be attacked, then your rights are being trampled upon.

What is the difference between misinformation and disinformation? Misinformation, which is kind of like gossip spreading through, like a telephone line, right? It gets distorted slightly. That's very different from disinformation, which is like a push of power to manipulate you, a lie seated for a purpose.

How can we combat disinformation? There's so much we can do. You know, when I was trying to write the Nobel lecture, I was trying to figure out, telling people about the problem isn't enough because you only get depressed, right? You don't want learned helplessness. And I came up with this phrase, a person to person defense of our democracy. And that came out of something I learned when I was in college, the honor code. My university, I went to Princeton, we had an honor code. And, you know, the professors leave the room, and at the bottom of every test, every paper you write, I pledge on my honor that I'm not cheated. So that honor code is not just about you. It's also about everyone you see around you. If you see someone cheating, if you don't report it, you have violated the honor code. So we're responsible for our area of influence. And that's kind of the idea that if we each, in our area of influence live our values, then we can connect like a mesh, these areas of influence. It's the only thing we can do in the short term. We have to find a new way of creating civic engagement. In the age of exponential lies, the medium term is laws. And that's what the EU has come up with. The EU is the most progressive of the laws that are out there now. The Democracy action plan came up with the Digital Services act and the Digital Markets act. In the long term, like every new technology, it's going to have to be about education, right? And all of these have to shift. This is a fundamental, it's creative destruction.

The world as we know it is destroyed. And the battle is in our minds. So if we accept that, that we're stepping on the rubble of the world that was, then we can begin to create a new world. And that's the exciting part of today, that you can actually create a what the world can become.

You've been threatened with imprisonment. How do you keep hope? You are your own worst enemy. So whatever it is that you're most afraid of, you have to, like, imagine it in your head. You have to hold it, touch it, embrace it, think what you would do if that happened and then plan it. And then if you're ready for that, whatever you're most afraid of, everything else is cake, you know, and that's kind of that stayed with me because I think sometimes in real, in life, we are our own worst enemies. You know, you don't think you can do it, so you don't even try, you know? So I learned how to get over that when I was, when I was younger. And then as I got older and began to lead teams, I always think through worst case scenarios. I was a war zone correspondent, right? I was in charge of my team. So before we walk into any conflict area, I would lay out the worst case and I would prepare for that worst case. Then I would be ready? And I could improvise in the moment, no matter what happens. Oh, there's a checkpoint in Ambon. It was just like you had Muslims and christian checkpoints. So how did we deal with it? We had a muslim car and a christian car. And depending on which checkpoint we were going to, the muslim car would lead for a muslim checkpoint. The christian car would lead for a christian checkpoint. I use this as an example, because if you plan ahead and you embrace your fear, then everything else is okay. I think the hardest part for us is to be paralyzed by fear or to stop doing something because we're afraid of whatever infinite possibilities, infinite threats there could be. I think this is one of the things that annoyed the Duterte administration. It's not that I. It's not that I'm not afraid. It's that, you know, that fear is the worst thing. So you manage your fear and you move forward. You don't lose track of your north star. What is the goal? You keep going.

You have a lot of young changemakers looking up to you. What is your advice to them? This is the toughest time to be a journalist and not yet also the best time to be a journalist. Right? So I grapple with this every day in Rappler because we have a young group. We have about a hundred rapplers, only 100 or so people, 120 at our most, because I don't want it to get beyond 150. Then you'll need to build middle management. But anyway, so I take responsibility for that. What advice? To look at the world with fresh eyes, to see it as it is, to define your lines of good and evil. So while you're young, you don't make the compromises to realize when you're compromising. That's the second, I think the third is, don't be cynical. Cynicism kills, you know, it's. In some ways, there's. I prefer pragmatism over cynicism. pragmatism gives you room to move. Cynicism is exactly what happens on social media. You expect the worst of people, so you will get the worst of people. We create the world we want, you know? So if I treat you like I don't trust you, how would you react? So I guess that's. I mean, I guess, look, if you're the younger generation right now, the challenge for you in an attention economy is the search for meaning. It's always been the challenge for human beings. It's our search for meaning. And where you spend your time will determine what gives your life meaning. Understand that these information ecosystem, these technology platforms are sucking your spirit. You know that you may feel like you have control and you can curate your life, but that's a time suck, right? The more time you spend in this, the less time you have in the real world build a life. So the dangers are real for this generation? I mean, let's not even talk climate change, right? Will our planet even survive? The dangers are very real, but they have a chance to do better than we did. I think this generation that created social media, that's the in between. They've got to stop the greed. I don't know how we'll get through it, but we must.

What gives you hope about the future? I mean, in my world, Rappler, we're still here. We haven't compromised. There's a back and forth of energy from the older founders and our young people. When we get tired, they give us energy. When they get lost, we give them focus. The Philippines, regardless of how disappointing many things can be, I've learned a ton in terms of silence. You know, it's. And that majority that wants to stay silent, that is afraid to spook. I believe in the goodness of human nature. I have seen it. I've been in war zones, in disaster areas where people are just incredibly generous. I've been in a place where a family has no food and they offer me their water, you know, it's like. It's incredible. And I have no choice also, you know, because what else is there? Would you just give up? Then you don't fight the battle at all.

How do we build trust within the global community? Everyone on the side of the good, in many ways, has to do much better. The side of democracy sees all the nuances and they don't come out as clearly as the side of the bad as. Because now I talk about social media, right? Everything is compressed. Part of the reason these metanarratives that lies are built on. They're seated and then they pull them up every time and people begin to think they're true. What are the good guys doing? Right? We haven't. Old power hasn't adjusted enough. Old power still thinks it has power, and that's not going to change. And so this goes back down to, what are the stories we tell? What is the narrative that determines our. What are we trying to do? The good guys are fighting amongst themselves for nuances that, frankly, get lost, and yet they don't act like this is what I saw in the Philippines.

How can other people step forward to be a catalyst for change? You know, I love speaking to young, young folks, college, younger than college, because it's very clear what right and wrong is. We teach this to our kids, right? And as we get older, we know what's right and wrong, but vested interests get in the way. Are you going to get a pay increase if. If you work? Do you work for meta? You know, some people have started leaving, but you know it then. Then other things like, are you going to get paid more? Will you lose your business if you stand up against a dictator? Yes, maybe, right? But not doing it will also have repercussions. That's part of, that's what I mean by be very clear. If you're compromising, at least admit it's a compromise. So part of that clarity is that if enough people realize that the compromise will cost us our future, that perhaps they will then move. That clarity is really clear before you walk into a job. And then the minute you have a job and the minute you gain more power. Sometimes I think that clarity then becomes really important to know. When you compromise too much, how do people look within themselves to find their values? I think what drives humanity, what drives people, is the search for meaning. And meeting isn't something that someone hands to you, right? It's something that you build with every little decision you make. And it's actually the little decisions that determine who you are. So, you know, it's being aware of that. That is what gives our lives meaning. I think the problem that I have with the attention economy is that where you choose to spend your time is what will give your life meaning. And these social media platforms are time sucks that give nothing back in return except fomo or kind of like a performative. You cannot live a performative life. You have to have, like, a rich inner world where you debate and you have these moments where you figure out who you are.

A lot of people have been on social media for a while. How do we detox ourselves from social media? The radicalization happens when you're addicted to these platforms, to the Internet, and again, you go back to, what's the rule of law of the Internet? Is there a government that did? No, they've been determined by private companies. And is that the right way to do it? Sometimes it's a detox that does it. I've spoken to people who just said that they stopped because they didn't like the person they were becoming. It's that first thing learn. The more you learn, the more you realize you understand its impact on you. And then somehow deleting Facebook also isn't the right way to deal with this, because that's the information superhighway right now. What are we going to do? This is where collective action kicks in. This is why we signed the ten point action plan.

Why is lifelong learning so important for people? lifelong learning, I would say not just lifelong learning, I would say awareness of the place in time. I mean, it's my. The way you view the world is, for most of us, experiential. And the more self aware you can be, the more you realize that this is a continuum of an identity that you create, that this is the work of life, that your life, your thinking, is the work of art that you're creating, then it's easier to learn. And everything you learn then affects everything you have learned. The reason I said learn is because too many people get stuck. Too many people give up, too many. I've seen this in Rappler and people I manage and I try very hard to then say, what's the challenge when circumstances are bleak, how do you push forward? Even in the happy endings of everything, there's always the step. After this I've learned. Who would have thought I'd be arrested? There was the next day. And so I guess what I do is it's a little bit like PTSD, because you get punched in the gut a lot, and yet you also know that how you react will determine the next steps. Look at the world as it is, not as it was, and imagine the best it can be.

Education, Technology, Inspiration, Journalism, Press Freedom, Digital Challenges, Nobel Prize