Ressa: Journalists need tech mastery to counter info wars
The Straits Times|July 01, 2022
Nobel Peace laureate points to study she did on spreading falsehoods via fake accounts
Kenji Chong
Ressa: Journalists need tech mastery to counter info wars

Using just 26 fake social media accounts, Nobel Peace laureate Maria Ressa was able to spread falsehoods to over three million unsuspecting users and influence their views in a study she did.

With global legal systems unable to adequately punish perpetrators of falsehoods, “online impunity is real-world impunity”, she told journalists at a conference on Tuesday.

The Filipino-American veteran journalist and co-founder of news site Rappler said it is “time for journalists to understand tech well enough that we can actually create a public sphere we can live in, that democracy can live in”, instead of waiting for laws to catch up with reality. Touching on how these online accounts have a real-world impact, she also expressed worry over the “more than 30 elections in the world” being held this year.

This story is from the July 01, 2022 edition of The Straits Times.

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This story is from the July 01, 2022 edition of The Straits Times.

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