Holding the line: Rappler, Facebook, Duterte and the battle for truth and public trust

Abstract

Commentary: Rappler is the only journalist-owned and journalist-led media company in the Philippines. In the aftermath of chief executive Maria Ressa’s 2021 Nobel Peace Prize, this keynote address at the Asian Congress for Media and Communication (ACMC) outlines how the independent media group has harnessed social media and pressured Facebook and the tech giants that control the global information highway to do better and to give facts premium over profits. The address argues that the only way media can regain public trust in journalism is to regain their rightful space in the public sphere. This will not be able to be achieved in an environment where algorithms make value judgments for the public and where readers are served only information that they want or enjoy. Without journalists who will tell it like it is no matter the consequences, the future will continue to be one of alternate facts and manipulated opinions.