Rappler CEO Maria Ressa is in bad need of a healthy dose of humility. Of late, she’s been busy screeching about an imagined “attack on press freedom” supposedly being perpetrated by the government of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. This is, interestingly enough, after she was slapped with charges of tax evasion by the Department of Justice and a warrant issued by a Philippine court for her arrest. But the big assumption she is making — one that needs to be properly fact checked — is that all this actually constitutes that “attack” on “press freedom” she insists is transpiring.
Indeed, no such “attack” is being reported by other news media organisations in the Philippines. In fact, the publication and exchange of ideas critical of the Duterte administration goes on pretty much unabated. It seems Rappler is alone in this bizarre feeling that its entitlement to free expression is under threat. Worse, Ressa seems to be suffering from an acute delusion of grandeur seeing that she believes an attack on her constitutes an attack on the entire news media industry.
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How can that be when Rappler is but a blip in the overall landscape that is the 21st Century’s killer app — social media. And even then, social media is exactly just that — but one of the millions of apps running on the Internet.
On that, it is worth revisiting what the Internet originally was.
Paul Baran was one of the key researchers at RAND (Research and Development Corporation). In 1964 he published a paper titled On Distributed Communications in which he outlined a communication system resilient enough to survive a nuclear attack. Though it was impossible to build a system of communication that could guarantee the endurance of all single points, Baran posited that it was reasonable to imagine a system which would force the enemy to destroy “n of n stations”. So “if n is made sufficiently large”, Baran wrote, “it can be shown that highly survivable system structures can be built even in the thermonuclear era”.
The Internet was around long before the World Wide Web came into being and certainly longer before social media was invented. It can and will continue to exist even without the World Wide Web, without social media, and certainly without Rappler. It will be around to serve as a platform for people who have access to it to share information, ideas, and points of view. If it really was designed, as rumour has it, to “survive a nuclear attack”, the Net will certainly survive Duterte’s “attack on press freedom” and whatever else Ressa imagines Duterte might throw at her.
In upholding the dubious narrative that Rappler is being persecuted for being a critic of the Duterte administration, Maria Ressa styles herself in the same way shamans of antiquity made their followers believe that they are the centres of the universe. In reality, Rappler is but a blip in an ecosystem of Netizens competing for attention. Competition is good because it keeps this ecosystem honest in a natural and organic way. Ressa should apply a bit more humility to her thinking and let go of her unfounded belief that she is God’s Gift to Philippine Journalism. Rather, she should focus on competing for attention. To sustain that attention, she will need to rebuild the foundation of trust upon which deep engagement in the relationship between Rappler and its audience could be rebuilt.
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
No Maria Ressa. #journalismisnotacrime. I can tell you though that KSP is the root of all evil. The sky is not falling Chicken Little because you feel so unfairly persecuted by the BIR and the SEC. Just look in the mirror and ah keep on looking.
Backmasking the “sirang plaka” may give us a hint on where all the gaseous illogical-reasoning stench is coming from.
Nuclear war or no nuclear war. Maria Reesa and her Rappler have to pay their taxes. It is just that simple. You evaded taxes; the government comes after you; then you shout: “Press freedom is under attack !
PRESS FREEDOM IS NOT UNDER THREAT !!! The Filipinos are under threat by TOO MUCH IRRESPONSIBLE PRESS FREEDOM !!!
Ressa can analyze politics to no end 24/7/365 but cannot analyze the behind the scene in developing and designing U.P. micro-satellite why Japanese were involved in its launching if it really was U.P. that designed and shoot it to space.
FILIPINOS ARE UNDER THREAT BY IRRESPONSIBLE PRESS FREEDOM OF RESSA they attack the killings of drug personalities but offering solution why they should be taken alive so they can point who their suppliers are.
RESSAS IRRESPONSIBLE PRESS FREEDOM IS witness affidavit-based justice instead of forensic evidences and forensic accounting.
There is pro-Duterte and there is anti-Duterte media. It is unfortunate there are more pro-Dutertes than anti-Dutertes. Pro-Dutertes protect Duterte attack those anti-Dutertes like anti-Dutertes would.
RESSA AND RAPPLER ARE AGAINST PRESS FREEDOM because pro-Dutertes attack them like Ressa and Rappler are against Duterte.
RESSA, if she were intelligent, SHOULD KNOW BETTER.
PRESS FREEDOM IS NOT UNDER THREAT.
***It is Ressa’s Freedom is under threat***
PHILIPPINE PRESS, though fake, IS HIGH-SPIRITED and EXUBERANT … they can publish anything under a drop of gossips …. THAT IS UNFETTERED PRESS FREEDOM …
Ressa soon will be fettered …
Unfortunately in the Philippines “attention” ISNT necessarily given to the most intelligent, or most logical, or most analytical or most truthful. You of all people benign0 should know that it all boils down to “intrigue” and “entertainment”.
This is why you continuously attack Rappler. You want the conflict. Rather than do what I suggest actually which is to use proper, scientific analysis (using DAMN DATA!) to get to objective solutions to the country’s ills.
But you’d rather be popular. Popularity usually means pandering to the LOWEST common denominator. Glad to see you would rather join the HUGE JUICY TITS of mocha unson type journalism.
You’re grasping on straws as always. You should know that Rappler is part of the biased mainstream media and you always fail to cite that every single type of news and journalism have their own biases, even with data or not.
Unfortunately, YOU are seeking popularity since you just want to seek attention. Mention Mocha Uson as if she’s relevant makes you more dumber. Still, perhaps guys like Jojo A. Robles, Kit Tatad, Bobi Tiglao, Alex Magno, Bobit Avila, and even Teddy Locsin, Jr. are in the same level as Mocha. Of course you won’t admit that because you’re clueless about the people I’ve mentioned. Watching too much ABS-CBN is dangerous to your mental health. Just saying.
You mean like ABS-CBN where they made an article about Nestle leaving the Philippines due to inflation rates yet they took it down a few hours later AFTER Nestle Philippines made an official statement? Heh, that is another example of what you call as “mocha unson type journalism”. And it’s much worse because they can lose a LOT of money since Nestle is one of their sponsors.
Admit it: any news that you don’t like or it doesn’t fit your tastes is fake news. Let’s not kid ourselves, you’re also an avid supporter of what you call “mocha unson type journalism” in their websites and newspapers. But you won’t bother because they’re corporate media and I tell you, they’re much even worse.
And thanks for admitting that you still cling on the “blogging = journalism” BS because that’s not only lazy but also dumb as fuck. Congratulations.
“This is why you continuously attack Rappler. You want the conflict. Rather than do what I suggest actually which is to use proper, scientific analysis (using DAMN DATA!) to get to objective solutions to the country’s ills.”
Seems this guy hasn’t read much of the past analytical articles of this site and how it already suggests many useful things that the country should have done before hand, but no, like you, do not simple listen.
Oh, your last sentence in your comment just proved your comment’s illogical sense. Everything you said became moot.
Your name doesn’t deserve you, such unwise comments there.
Yet he wouldn’t even bother to look at their past analytical articles because he would see them as “Marcos this, martial law that”. The dude is insane.
RAPPLER IS ADDICTED TO SCIENCE …. a science that does not need math only unsubstantiated gossips. IT IS CALLED POLITICAL SCIENCE.
95% of Rappler article is about politics. Cannot analyze juridical law. POLITICAL ANALYSIS IS EASY. NOBODY IS WRONG AND NOBODY IS RIGHT. IT DEPENDS WHO GOT THE LARGEST VOICE.
We want Maria Ressa to burn… burn slowly (more mentally) until the international people who supports her would finally realize that this person is not whom they need to support and look up to.
Buuuurrrrn, Maria. We relish the fact that you are losing yourself and your significance to everyone because of your decisions in life. Just big karma indeed. 😀
RAPPLER DOES NOT PAY TAXES …
Rappler is sued, she screams press freedom is under threat
Ressa is now the supreme court she determines Rappler do not pay taxes … Taxes threatens freedom of the press.
Ressa runs Fiefdom.
He/She wears a mask, and his/her face grows to fit it.