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How to Stand Up to a Dictator
What will you sacrifice for the truth?
Maria Ressa has spent decades speaking truth to power. But her work tracking disinformation networks seeded by her own government, spreading lies to its own citizens laced with anger and hate, has landed her in trouble with the most powerful man in the country: President Duterte.
Now, hounded by the state, she has multiple arrest warrants against her name, and a potential 100+ years behind bars to prepare for—while she stands trial for speaking the truth.
How to Stand Up to a Dictator is the story of how democracy dies by a thousand cuts, and how an invisible atom bomb has exploded online that is killing our freedoms. It maps a network of disinformation—a heinous web of cause and effect—that has netted the globe: from Duterte's drug wars, to America's Capitol Hill, to Britain's Brexit, to Russian and Chinese cyber-warfare, to Facebook and Silicon Valley, to our own clicks and our own votes.
Told from the frontline of the digital war, this is Maria Ressa's urgent cry for us to wake up and hold the line, before it is too late.
Maria Ressa has spent decades speaking truth to power. But her work tracking disinformation networks seeded by her own government, spreading lies to its own citizens laced with anger and hate, has landed her in trouble with the most powerful man in the country: President Duterte.
Now, hounded by the state, she has multiple arrest warrants against her name, and a potential 100+ years behind bars to prepare for—while she stands trial for speaking the truth.
How to Stand Up to a Dictator is the story of how democracy dies by a thousand cuts, and how an invisible atom bomb has exploded online that is killing our freedoms. It maps a network of disinformation—a heinous web of cause and effect—that has netted the globe: from Duterte's drug wars, to America's Capitol Hill, to Britain's Brexit, to Russian and Chinese cyber-warfare, to Facebook and Silicon Valley, to our own clicks and our own votes.
Told from the frontline of the digital war, this is Maria Ressa's urgent cry for us to wake up and hold the line, before it is too late.
288 pages, Paperback
First published November 17, 2022
1644 people are currently reading
12829 people want to read
About the author
Maria Ressa
4books317followersMaria Angelita Ressa is a Filipino American journalist and author, the co-founder and CEO of , and the first independent Filipino Nobel laureate. She previously spent nearly two decades working as a lead investigative reporter in Southeast Asia for CNN.
In 2020, she was convicted of cyberlibel by the Philippine government under the controversial Philippine Anti-Cybercrime law, a move condemned by human rights groups and journalists as an attack on press freedom.
Ressa was awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize jointly with Dmitry Muratov for “their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace."
In 2020, she was convicted of cyberlibel by the Philippine government under the controversial Philippine Anti-Cybercrime law, a move condemned by human rights groups and journalists as an attack on press freedom.
Ressa was awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize jointly with Dmitry Muratov for “their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 876 reviews
December 31, 2022
Astounding read of the year. This book made me furious, frustrated, cry and feel hopeful.
Maria Ressa is an inspiration. I feel grateful and hopeful that people like her exist today. Being from the Philippines myself, I can relate how frustrating our political situation is. The last election actually felt like life and death and the fear that we have passed on a very promising candidate made me really sad.
It's scary and quite unbelievable that now in a civilised society that is so advanced, we are arguing over facts versus conspiracies. Instead of arguing ways on how to better the world, we are stuck battling over lies and falsehood that were already proven wrong decades or even thousands of years ago. It was a global pandemic that we did not see coming when technological advances prospered.
People from the other side calls it freedom of speech. But is it really freedom when it shackles us from moving forward into a more promising future?
Two years ago, when I was redeployed to work in the biggest covid ICU in London, I was so angry and devastated seeing all the covid hoax everywhere especially on Facebook after working tirelessly. It made my mental health suffer and I decided to remove my facebook account. I thought I would miss out but it actually made my life better. With facebook, surveillance capitalism exists and it treats human data as commodities to be bartered and traded in markets.
The power of disinformation began to devastate the minds and transform the behaviour.
Education determines the quality of governance. A nation's budget line item for education is an investment in its people. The ability to discern and question is also determined by education.
As George Orwell said, ignorance is strength. A tyrannical government knows the power of manipulating ignorant members of society. Creating a more informed citizenry is necessary for a democracy to work.
Good journalists lean on the side of evidence, on inconvertible facts. Journalists report facts because that creates a shared reality. What are we going to do if our reality were based on lies?
"Where is the outrage? Where is the resistance?"
We live in this terrifying dystopia: the suffocation of our minds by junk, a loss of clarity of thought and a lack of concentration, and the empowerment of individual over collective thinking.
A group becoming a mob - emergent behaviour is unpredictable and dangerous. People do things they wouldn't do if they were alone.
"Silence is complicity."
What are you willing to sacrifice for the truth?
"We actually die a little every day. Each day lived is also another day never to be repeated. Now all we ask is to spend our remaining days with significance."
Sometimes, I feel like it's a wonder to still believe that the Filipino people can get better, can choose to get better; deserve better even after every thing.
Maria Ressa is an inspiration. I feel grateful and hopeful that people like her exist today. Being from the Philippines myself, I can relate how frustrating our political situation is. The last election actually felt like life and death and the fear that we have passed on a very promising candidate made me really sad.
It's scary and quite unbelievable that now in a civilised society that is so advanced, we are arguing over facts versus conspiracies. Instead of arguing ways on how to better the world, we are stuck battling over lies and falsehood that were already proven wrong decades or even thousands of years ago. It was a global pandemic that we did not see coming when technological advances prospered.
People from the other side calls it freedom of speech. But is it really freedom when it shackles us from moving forward into a more promising future?
Two years ago, when I was redeployed to work in the biggest covid ICU in London, I was so angry and devastated seeing all the covid hoax everywhere especially on Facebook after working tirelessly. It made my mental health suffer and I decided to remove my facebook account. I thought I would miss out but it actually made my life better. With facebook, surveillance capitalism exists and it treats human data as commodities to be bartered and traded in markets.
The power of disinformation began to devastate the minds and transform the behaviour.
Education determines the quality of governance. A nation's budget line item for education is an investment in its people. The ability to discern and question is also determined by education.
As George Orwell said, ignorance is strength. A tyrannical government knows the power of manipulating ignorant members of society. Creating a more informed citizenry is necessary for a democracy to work.
Good journalists lean on the side of evidence, on inconvertible facts. Journalists report facts because that creates a shared reality. What are we going to do if our reality were based on lies?
"Where is the outrage? Where is the resistance?"
We live in this terrifying dystopia: the suffocation of our minds by junk, a loss of clarity of thought and a lack of concentration, and the empowerment of individual over collective thinking.
A group becoming a mob - emergent behaviour is unpredictable and dangerous. People do things they wouldn't do if they were alone.
"Silence is complicity."
What are you willing to sacrifice for the truth?
"We actually die a little every day. Each day lived is also another day never to be repeated. Now all we ask is to spend our remaining days with significance."
Sometimes, I feel like it's a wonder to still believe that the Filipino people can get better, can choose to get better; deserve better even after every thing.
January 25, 2025
Maria Ressa is a journalist, activist, author, innovator, entrepreneur, and media specialist. Maria Ressa's How to Stand Up to a Dictator is mainly a memoir. It's not written in a normal HowTo format. Although if one lists the chapter titles together separately, one ends up with something like a how to list.
In these times, it is important that Ressa's experiences become part of our collective memory (our "shared reality"), so I highly recommend this book.
In this book, Ressa details her experiences with the following dictators: Ferdinand Marcos, Rodrigo Duterte, Mark Zuckerberg,
Note: To silence his critics, Duterte used violence, weaponization of the law, and cyberlibel (p. 186).
Some guidelines from this book:
Believe in the good
Don't become a monster to fight a monster
Hold the line
Collaborate! Collaborate! Collaborate!
See interview with Maria Ressa at
In these times, it is important that Ressa's experiences become part of our collective memory (our "shared reality"), so I highly recommend this book.
In this book, Ressa details her experiences with the following dictators: Ferdinand Marcos, Rodrigo Duterte, Mark Zuckerberg,
Note: To silence his critics, Duterte used violence, weaponization of the law, and cyberlibel (p. 186).
Some guidelines from this book:
Believe in the good
Don't become a monster to fight a monster
Hold the line
Collaborate! Collaborate! Collaborate!
See interview with Maria Ressa at
January 21, 2023
I love reading stories that feature strong women ✨with receipts!�
This is a memoir of a brave crusader in a war against disinformation. It's unreal and heavy but admirable, inspiring, and powerful. I initially listened to the audio but found out that the footnotes were not included, so I read the print at the same time. Ressa's narration was excellent; I could hear the sincerity in her voice. Ressa recounts her journey from a struggling Filipino-American to becoming a passionate journalist, to receiving multiple death threats and alleged criminal charges filed by the government against her (to silence her). She was honored as TIME's Person of the Year and awarded as the Nobel Peace Prize winner while being arrested and released on bail several times. This book explains so much about the war happening to journalists. I was incredibly compelled throughout, not because I was familiar with some of the stories she told but because I felt her frustration. She convinced me effectively to listen and let her tell me her intention in sharing this memoir. It kept me interested and educated. A true fighter in the blue corner. Glad I've read this.
"People asked me how I found the courage. 'It's easy,' I would often reply. 'I have the facts.'"
Yes, ma'am.
This is a memoir of a brave crusader in a war against disinformation. It's unreal and heavy but admirable, inspiring, and powerful. I initially listened to the audio but found out that the footnotes were not included, so I read the print at the same time. Ressa's narration was excellent; I could hear the sincerity in her voice. Ressa recounts her journey from a struggling Filipino-American to becoming a passionate journalist, to receiving multiple death threats and alleged criminal charges filed by the government against her (to silence her). She was honored as TIME's Person of the Year and awarded as the Nobel Peace Prize winner while being arrested and released on bail several times. This book explains so much about the war happening to journalists. I was incredibly compelled throughout, not because I was familiar with some of the stories she told but because I felt her frustration. She convinced me effectively to listen and let her tell me her intention in sharing this memoir. It kept me interested and educated. A true fighter in the blue corner. Glad I've read this.
"People asked me how I found the courage. 'It's easy,' I would often reply. 'I have the facts.'"
Yes, ma'am.
November 23, 2022
Amazing. The very impressive story of Maria Ressa, a journalist’s journalist from the golden era when journalism was a profession and had ethics. This book covers her entire career but focuses on the recent period of info warfare and political corruption in Duterte’s (and now Marcos’s) Philippines. As well as a gripping story, Ressa brings the receipts and explains many of the techniques of social media manipulation that are often generalised in other coverage. I learned so many things. Ressa’s cheerful, positive, and pragmatic bearing is that of a modern Gandhi, Mandela, or saint.
January 31, 2023
Maria Ressa is an accomplished and incredibly brave woman whose Nobel Prize was well-earned, but the prize was not for her memoir. Her story is compelling, but one that should not have been told in first person. Unfortunately, it makes her stories of her successes, which are many, come across as bragging. Listening to it with her own narration compounded that. A biographer could have provided that distance. There are long segments that would be great for students in international journalism and social media but to me seemed a dull lecture, the kind that made you constantly watching the clock and hoping for the bell to ring. Ressa comes across as without much personality, which I doubt is the case. This means the book fails to inspire in the way I am sure she intended. Again, I applaud the strong stand she is taking in the Philippines and was happy to read recently that she and "Rappler" were cleared of the trumped up tax-evasion charges. Her battles are not over yet though. Hope she prevails in all. I would rate Tessa five stars, but I can't for the book.
August 1, 2023
"We will not duck, we will not hide. We will hold the line." � Maria Ressa in "A Thousand Cuts" a documentary filmed in 2016-2018 during which the strongman Rodrigo Duterte rose to and consolidated power marking the slow death of democracy in my country� the Philippines.
How To Stand Up To A Dictator is an essential read for everyone living in this dicey age that is becoming more and more anti-liberal and antidemocratic. It is part-memoir, part-manifesto written by Maria Ressa, a 2021 Nobel Peace Prize winner, who depending on whom you ask in her home country can be described as an enemy of the state or a relentless advocate of truth through her fearless journalism in the Philippines.
This book traces Maria's early childhood in the Philippines, her adolescence in America, her decision to stay and work as a young journalist in the newly restored democracy in her country of birth, and its slow and almost inevitable descent back to autocracy � an on-going period that sees Maria becoming just one of the many faces of state repression, harassment, and injustice.
At the core of this book is the examination of the malignancy of social media and how this technology empowers right-wing governments and endangers the fabric of our society.
If there is one thing readers outside the Philippines can learn from this book, it is that what has come for us is coming for you too. Maria explains how the Philippines, a developing country in Southeast Asia, whose more than one hundred million population is on facebook has served as an excellent petri dish for "information operation", a deliberate and systematic tactic employed to destroy facts and corrupt our information ecosystem in order to usurp people's agencies and decision-making. After obvious success that catapulted Rodrigo Duterte to power in the Philippines, the same tactic has since been redeployed in much bigger countries such as during Russia's interference in the 2016 US elections, Brexit, #StopTheSteal narrative that led to January 6th insurrection, and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Maria couldn't have painted a bleaker and truer picture of the attacks and threats that plague our generation today. That democracies die not overnight but overtime through thousands of small cuts is a frightening realization yet also a powerful call to arms. In a world where lies are given power to spread faster than the truth, where the outrage at the erosion of freedom and rights is contained in an echo chamber of a minority, it is easy to surrender completely. But as long as people continue to hold power to account then there may yet be a way forward.
How To Stand Up To A Dictator is an essential read for everyone living in this dicey age that is becoming more and more anti-liberal and antidemocratic. It is part-memoir, part-manifesto written by Maria Ressa, a 2021 Nobel Peace Prize winner, who depending on whom you ask in her home country can be described as an enemy of the state or a relentless advocate of truth through her fearless journalism in the Philippines.
This book traces Maria's early childhood in the Philippines, her adolescence in America, her decision to stay and work as a young journalist in the newly restored democracy in her country of birth, and its slow and almost inevitable descent back to autocracy � an on-going period that sees Maria becoming just one of the many faces of state repression, harassment, and injustice.
At the core of this book is the examination of the malignancy of social media and how this technology empowers right-wing governments and endangers the fabric of our society.
If there is one thing readers outside the Philippines can learn from this book, it is that what has come for us is coming for you too. Maria explains how the Philippines, a developing country in Southeast Asia, whose more than one hundred million population is on facebook has served as an excellent petri dish for "information operation", a deliberate and systematic tactic employed to destroy facts and corrupt our information ecosystem in order to usurp people's agencies and decision-making. After obvious success that catapulted Rodrigo Duterte to power in the Philippines, the same tactic has since been redeployed in much bigger countries such as during Russia's interference in the 2016 US elections, Brexit, #StopTheSteal narrative that led to January 6th insurrection, and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Maria couldn't have painted a bleaker and truer picture of the attacks and threats that plague our generation today. That democracies die not overnight but overtime through thousands of small cuts is a frightening realization yet also a powerful call to arms. In a world where lies are given power to spread faster than the truth, where the outrage at the erosion of freedom and rights is contained in an echo chamber of a minority, it is easy to surrender completely. But as long as people continue to hold power to account then there may yet be a way forward.
August 12, 2024
A powerful book from a heroine who fights against double Goliaths of autocrats and Big Tech. She indicts and makes her case about how both have and continue to use social media to whittle away our freedoms, divide us, monetize our lives at the world's peril. Devastating and important. A memoir, it could also be classified in the True Crime genre.
4 1/2 stars.
Nobel Prize winner, Peace 2021.
4 1/2 stars.
Nobel Prize winner, Peace 2021.
March 24, 2025
Listening with Simon. At the beginning of her book Maria Ressa quotes Elie Wiesel - "There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest."
The question that Maria Ressa and her team ask themselves every day (and we should too):
"What are you willing to sacrifice for truth?"
More quotes:
Maria's life was upturned as a girl when her mother announced their imminent move to America, she writes about, "instinctively knowing nothing would ever be the same again. In moments like that you look for anchors, mine was the library book in my bag that would be overdue the next day."
"All it takes is one person to stand up and fight because a bully doesn't like to be challenged publicly."
"I would realize that an orchestra was a perfect metaphor for a working democracy. The music gave the people our notes, our systems. How you play, feel, and follow, and how you lead, that's all up to you."
"What you choose to do shapes the person you become. Nothing shaped my personality or my ability to withstand threats more than becoming a breaking news television journalist, learning to maintain my composure while live and even under literal gunfire, that became my super power."
"Early on we institutionalized three words, ones I felt were necessary, not just to ABS-CBN but to our country. I promised our team transparency, accountability, and consistency because I wanted to create systems that would function regardless of personalities."
"Facebook acknowledged that it had a lot of work to do for news companies. Its 'move fast break things' mindset meant that it asked companies and people to join new projects before thinking them through." This reminded me of the Department Of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the current Trump Administration who 'move fast break things' without considering the long-term consequences.
"Using fear and violence, the holders of power were trying to force us to step back and give up our rights. In my mind, we linked arms to 'hold the line' at any attempt to violate them and we would never voluntarily give up our rights, no matter the danger."
"The kindness of strangers would be a recurring theme in the coming years, strengthening my faith in the goodness of human nature."
"So, how do you stand up to a dictator? By embracing values defined early, they're the subtitles of the chapters you've read: honesty, vulnerability, empathy, moving away from emotions, embracing your fear, believing in the good."
"You can't do it alone. You have to create a team, strengthen your area of influence, then connect the bright spots and weave a mesh together. Avoid thinking in terms of us against them, stand in someone else's shoes and do unto others, as you would have them do unto you."
From the Acknowledgments: "The kindness of strangers that's what these last few years reminded me, that in the middle of so much bad it's the unexpected generous gesture that keeps you going."
The question that Maria Ressa and her team ask themselves every day (and we should too):
"What are you willing to sacrifice for truth?"
More quotes:
Maria's life was upturned as a girl when her mother announced their imminent move to America, she writes about, "instinctively knowing nothing would ever be the same again. In moments like that you look for anchors, mine was the library book in my bag that would be overdue the next day."
"All it takes is one person to stand up and fight because a bully doesn't like to be challenged publicly."
"I would realize that an orchestra was a perfect metaphor for a working democracy. The music gave the people our notes, our systems. How you play, feel, and follow, and how you lead, that's all up to you."
"What you choose to do shapes the person you become. Nothing shaped my personality or my ability to withstand threats more than becoming a breaking news television journalist, learning to maintain my composure while live and even under literal gunfire, that became my super power."
"Early on we institutionalized three words, ones I felt were necessary, not just to ABS-CBN but to our country. I promised our team transparency, accountability, and consistency because I wanted to create systems that would function regardless of personalities."
"Facebook acknowledged that it had a lot of work to do for news companies. Its 'move fast break things' mindset meant that it asked companies and people to join new projects before thinking them through." This reminded me of the Department Of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the current Trump Administration who 'move fast break things' without considering the long-term consequences.
"Using fear and violence, the holders of power were trying to force us to step back and give up our rights. In my mind, we linked arms to 'hold the line' at any attempt to violate them and we would never voluntarily give up our rights, no matter the danger."
"The kindness of strangers would be a recurring theme in the coming years, strengthening my faith in the goodness of human nature."
"So, how do you stand up to a dictator? By embracing values defined early, they're the subtitles of the chapters you've read: honesty, vulnerability, empathy, moving away from emotions, embracing your fear, believing in the good."
"You can't do it alone. You have to create a team, strengthen your area of influence, then connect the bright spots and weave a mesh together. Avoid thinking in terms of us against them, stand in someone else's shoes and do unto others, as you would have them do unto you."
From the Acknowledgments: "The kindness of strangers that's what these last few years reminded me, that in the middle of so much bad it's the unexpected generous gesture that keeps you going."
January 6, 2023
I’m glad that I chose this memoir as my first read of 2023. This was incredibly compelling for reasons that left me fearful of the future and reasons that hardened my resolve to reshape it. A must-read.
Full review to follow.
Full review to follow.
August 12, 2023
I don't think I'm the target audience for this book. I wasn't expecting to read a chapter on high-school or the lessons Ressa learned from standing up for the classroom outcast. Are we supposed to clap? Well done? Am I meant to be astounded by her wisdom and mercy? The obnoxiousness of casting every miniscule moment of her life in heroic light diminishes the moments when Ressa is genuinely worthy of respect and admiration. The disservice her self-directed hero worship does to the book is that when these moments come around, all I can do is roll my eyes. Seriously, is this book about Ressa being amazing, or is it about how to stop a dictator?
March 4, 2023
Maria Ressa is a co-founder of the Philippine-based news website called Rappler and the co-recipient of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize. Through Rappler, she made sure that she reported the news and released what was as close to the truth as possible, exercising her freedom of the press to the greatest extent possible and to the greatest extent that she found appropriate. Her actions did, however, get her into legal trouble and she was charged several times for things such as cyberlibel, where she is waiting for a verdict. In the meanwhile, she continues to do work toward going forth with her message and standing up for what she believes in, while engaging in speaking engagements across the globe.
This book is a memoir that Maria Ressa wrote, covering her life from being born in the Philippines all the way up to present day. She even makes mention to the honors that she received and accepted in Toms River, New Jersey, the town in which she grew up, in 2022. As she discusses things that took place during her life, she brilliantly weaves in her messages, beliefs, and ties everything up to convey her values that involve one's need to stand up for what they believe and that being silent about your beliefs strengthens the forces that antagonize these beliefs.
I agree completely with the messages that Ressa shares and the backdrop to which she shares it. While we may not agree on specific details about how we accomplish the same thing, she is very respectable in the way that she argues, and she cannot be more correct that we are seeing a world that is more divisive when it comes to political beliefs. My major criticism is that this book only goes so far into discussing the corruption and manipulation that takes place between the established ruling class and the general population, as well as how the internet plays a role in their favor. The argument can be made that they can only go so far, as per HarperCollins, and that there is picking and choosing, but it will leave the reader with the tools that they need to think, but with a need in doing more research and hoping that they can find the sources that work for them.
This book was very motivational and reading it will encourage you to embrace what you value and give you the incentive to want to strengthen your case to defense these values even more.
This book is a memoir that Maria Ressa wrote, covering her life from being born in the Philippines all the way up to present day. She even makes mention to the honors that she received and accepted in Toms River, New Jersey, the town in which she grew up, in 2022. As she discusses things that took place during her life, she brilliantly weaves in her messages, beliefs, and ties everything up to convey her values that involve one's need to stand up for what they believe and that being silent about your beliefs strengthens the forces that antagonize these beliefs.
I agree completely with the messages that Ressa shares and the backdrop to which she shares it. While we may not agree on specific details about how we accomplish the same thing, she is very respectable in the way that she argues, and she cannot be more correct that we are seeing a world that is more divisive when it comes to political beliefs. My major criticism is that this book only goes so far into discussing the corruption and manipulation that takes place between the established ruling class and the general population, as well as how the internet plays a role in their favor. The argument can be made that they can only go so far, as per HarperCollins, and that there is picking and choosing, but it will leave the reader with the tools that they need to think, but with a need in doing more research and hoping that they can find the sources that work for them.
This book was very motivational and reading it will encourage you to embrace what you value and give you the incentive to want to strengthen your case to defense these values even more.
June 4, 2023
As someone who lived in the US through the election of Donald Trump and is now back in Spain, witnessing the rise of the far-right parties in real-time, not only here but across Europe, I feel so much gratitude for what Ressa has and continues to go through, in order to uphold democratic values.
This book is not only a documentation of her experiences, but a call to action, to publicly denounce corruption in governments and hold politicians and the owners of social media corporations accountable. We seem to be fighting a losing battle, but it will not get better unless we try.
is not only referenced in this book, Ressa spends time with its author and we are privy to their conversations. Another extremely important book to read in order to understand what's going on. I'll have to re-read it soon.
This book is not only a documentation of her experiences, but a call to action, to publicly denounce corruption in governments and hold politicians and the owners of social media corporations accountable. We seem to be fighting a losing battle, but it will not get better unless we try.
is not only referenced in this book, Ressa spends time with its author and we are privy to their conversations. Another extremely important book to read in order to understand what's going on. I'll have to re-read it soon.
March 25, 2023
“Como enfrentar um ditador�, livro da vencedora do Nobel da paz Maria Ressa, é sensacional. Lembro que, quando comecei a ler, o primeiro capítulo me pegou desprevenido. Isso porque eu imaginava que o livro fosse tratar de assuntos inteiramente políticos, mas autora começa falando sobre como encontrar o nosso propósito na vida, como decidir por que lutar, e as fases em que ela costuma enxergar a evolução dela enquanto pessoa e jornalista. Foi daí para a terapia, hahaha. Acabei descobrindo que meu tipo favorito de não ficção é aquele que o tema principal se mistura com livro de memórias.
Depois, o livro vai falar desde da infância dela até a vida adulta, sobre todas as lutas dela, as experiências profissionais, a a luta pela democracia, a fé no jornalismo enquanto chave de mudança social. É um livro bastante inspirador, é uma leitura para quem deseja mudar o mundo. É um livro que vai falar muito de autoritarismo, de redes sociais, de como os algoritmos são usados contra nós, de como a falta de regulação das redes sociais pode causar o fim da nossa democracia. É um livro que também, pelo menos pra mim, faz um dos melhores trabalhos em explicar como o algoritmo funciona e como as gigantes da tecnologia estão completamente cientes dos malefícios que ele pode causar sociedade, como as mentiras são espalhadas on-line, de como substituímos um sistema político democrático preza por projetos de governo por um por um sistema de crenças em que os fatos agora podem ser relativizados.
Essa é uma leitura essencial para quem deseja mudar o mundo, pra quem deseja entender o que está em jogo na política hoje em dia, pra quem quer ferramentas pra mudar, pra quem precisa saber quem são nossos amigos e aliados. Recomendo!!
Depois, o livro vai falar desde da infância dela até a vida adulta, sobre todas as lutas dela, as experiências profissionais, a a luta pela democracia, a fé no jornalismo enquanto chave de mudança social. É um livro bastante inspirador, é uma leitura para quem deseja mudar o mundo. É um livro que vai falar muito de autoritarismo, de redes sociais, de como os algoritmos são usados contra nós, de como a falta de regulação das redes sociais pode causar o fim da nossa democracia. É um livro que também, pelo menos pra mim, faz um dos melhores trabalhos em explicar como o algoritmo funciona e como as gigantes da tecnologia estão completamente cientes dos malefícios que ele pode causar sociedade, como as mentiras são espalhadas on-line, de como substituímos um sistema político democrático preza por projetos de governo por um por um sistema de crenças em que os fatos agora podem ser relativizados.
Essa é uma leitura essencial para quem deseja mudar o mundo, pra quem deseja entender o que está em jogo na política hoje em dia, pra quem quer ferramentas pra mudar, pra quem precisa saber quem são nossos amigos e aliados. Recomendo!!
December 2, 2022
Essential reading for anyone who uses social media and cares about the future of humanity. I listened to the audiobook narrated with flair and passion by the author (latest Nobel Peace prize recepient) herself. Thank you, Maria.
January 14, 2025
Dacă vreți informații, date, elemente factuale despre cum tehnologia e folosită pentru a ne manipula emoțional, a ne diviza, a vinde informații false și propagandă în sprijinul liderilor autocrați și ahtiați după dividende - cartea Mariei Ressa e o sursă foarte bună.
Poate nu veți avea revelații, ci doar confirmări, dar și ele sunt mai bune decât simplele impresii (oricât de deștepți ne-am crede), mai ales într-o lume deja prea încrezătoare că opiniile sunt mai importante ca informațiile verificate și ca faptele documentate.
Ce nu mi-a plăcut a fost supra-editarea pentru accesibilizare, scrisul de multe ori în stilul literaturii motivaționale. Poate nici personalitatea extrem de ambițioasă și un pic, doar un pic, cu porniri mesianice a autoarei.
3.5*
Poate nu veți avea revelații, ci doar confirmări, dar și ele sunt mai bune decât simplele impresii (oricât de deștepți ne-am crede), mai ales într-o lume deja prea încrezătoare că opiniile sunt mai importante ca informațiile verificate și ca faptele documentate.
Ce nu mi-a plăcut a fost supra-editarea pentru accesibilizare, scrisul de multe ori în stilul literaturii motivaționale. Poate nici personalitatea extrem de ambițioasă și un pic, doar un pic, cu porniri mesianice a autoarei.
3.5*
October 22, 2023
Maria Ressa did not start as an activist, not even a journalist. As she described in her professional memoir How to Stand Up to a Dictator, she was a shy outsider when her family immigrated to the US. She was a theatre major in college. College is far more than career preparation and got her thinking about the ways that she wanted to approach her life: with integrity, honor, according to her values.
How to Stand Up to a Dictator traced Ressa’s often harrowing journey from social media advocate to democracy defender in a system often more interested in protecting profit than public discourse. In 2021, Ressa was awarded the Nobel Peace prize, which she shared with Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov.
Ressa described the Philippines as “a fraud hub� for “click and account farms, information operations, and the rise of political influencers in the grayer areas of the advertising industry� (p. 124). This didn’t have to be the case. Social media monetizes page views and engagement times, favoring emotionally driven sensationalism. She argued “developments I welcomed in 2011 would soon be fine-tuned by digital platforms� business models, co-opted by state power, and turned against the people, fueling the rise of digital authoritarians, the death of facts and the insidious mass manipulation we live with today� (p. 105)
Mark Zuckerberg did nothing to stop this. She repeatedly showed Zuckerberg how Duterte and his supporters were using Facebook to spread disinformation � but was largely ignored.
So, how does one stand up to a dictator? First, hold technology accountable through regulation that protects journalistic standards and ethics. Second, grow investigative journalism. Third, build global communities of action to protect frontline journalism through collaborations among free press, media, and civil society groups. These communities would collaborate to create databases to defend facts and shorten the time it takes to expose lies and correct misinformation. She argued that we must expose their methods, continue even when it becomes difficult, and be willing to risk our freedom. She asked that we hold technology companies accountable, invest in investigative journalism, and build collaborations between news organizations and those who care about democracy and facts.
We can do this.
How to Stand Up to a Dictator traced Ressa’s often harrowing journey from social media advocate to democracy defender in a system often more interested in protecting profit than public discourse. In 2021, Ressa was awarded the Nobel Peace prize, which she shared with Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov.
Ressa described the Philippines as “a fraud hub� for “click and account farms, information operations, and the rise of political influencers in the grayer areas of the advertising industry� (p. 124). This didn’t have to be the case. Social media monetizes page views and engagement times, favoring emotionally driven sensationalism. She argued “developments I welcomed in 2011 would soon be fine-tuned by digital platforms� business models, co-opted by state power, and turned against the people, fueling the rise of digital authoritarians, the death of facts and the insidious mass manipulation we live with today� (p. 105)
Mark Zuckerberg did nothing to stop this. She repeatedly showed Zuckerberg how Duterte and his supporters were using Facebook to spread disinformation � but was largely ignored.
So, how does one stand up to a dictator? First, hold technology accountable through regulation that protects journalistic standards and ethics. Second, grow investigative journalism. Third, build global communities of action to protect frontline journalism through collaborations among free press, media, and civil society groups. These communities would collaborate to create databases to defend facts and shorten the time it takes to expose lies and correct misinformation. She argued that we must expose their methods, continue even when it becomes difficult, and be willing to risk our freedom. She asked that we hold technology companies accountable, invest in investigative journalism, and build collaborations between news organizations and those who care about democracy and facts.
We can do this.
April 8, 2024
Vreau să scriu mai pe larg despre ea. Până atunci, las ceva ce scriam când am început cartea: Nu știam dacă o să fie genul meu de carte, mai ales că nu sunt audiența potrivită pentru lecturi politice de vreun fel. Dar am citit 38 de pag și m-a prins foarte tare. Sunt în faza în care Maria Ressa, jurnalistă în Asia de peste 37 ani, își povestește copilăria, după o introducere pertinentă, fascinantă și un pic scary în fragilitatea democrației (pe care oamenii de vârsta mea, care s-au născut și au trăit măcar într-o formă oarecare de democrație, o iau ca atare) și despre necesitatea legiferării (inclusiv dpdv etic) a spațiului internetului unde fake news și manipularea în masă pot duce la lucruri teribile, ca fraudarea alegerilor și ajungerea într-un punct în care un dictator să fie considerat un erou. So far, foarte interesantă, chiar dacă pe alocuri pare că are un discurs motivațional mainstream, personal nu mă deranjează. Și m-a prins inclusiv descrierea făcută la început de Amal Clooney: “când te gândești la un supererou, probabil că nu-ți imaginezi o femeie de 1.57 m, cu un stilou în mână.� ❤️
July 15, 2023
Actual rating: 4.5
Outrageous, hopeful, and deeply inspiring. Ressa blends the personal and the informative very well. I learned so much about the role of both journalism and tech companies in the shaping of democracy.
Outrageous, hopeful, and deeply inspiring. Ressa blends the personal and the informative very well. I learned so much about the role of both journalism and tech companies in the shaping of democracy.
July 28, 2023
You know how when some non-fiction books have the power to completely and totally change your life? This is one of those non-fiction books. It took me SO LONG to read this book not because it was difficult to read, but because I wanted to take my time absorbing and internalizing every single word.
If you in any way at all love the Philippines - or, hell, if you in any way at all love and want to defend democracy - READ THIS BOOK.
Maria Ressa is an icon and a modern-day hero and anyone who can't recognize that is ignorant at best and a malicious liar at worst.
"I've invariably been asked by interviewers why I choose to come back to the Philippines, and my response is simple: there is no other choice."
If you in any way at all love the Philippines - or, hell, if you in any way at all love and want to defend democracy - READ THIS BOOK.
Maria Ressa is an icon and a modern-day hero and anyone who can't recognize that is ignorant at best and a malicious liar at worst.
"I've invariably been asked by interviewers why I choose to come back to the Philippines, and my response is simple: there is no other choice."
May 5, 2023
A disappointment. I have no doubt that Maria Ressa is an extraordinary person, but the book does not do her justice. For the most part it is a weird mix of anecdotes from her life, final statements about the nature of evil and a list of multiple successes of her work endeavors. The excerpts about the political context of the Phillipines were not properly integrated into the story and the narrative of perfectness, where everything Maria touched turned to gold and even the employees that she fired were won over by her empathy, seems untrustworthy (and annoying).
I wish the book was focusing on the Information warfare, these chapters were by far the most successful. Suddenly there was an intent to the writing and the first-hand experiences of the author were supporting a clear thesis. Maria Ressa dissected the manipulation of information on the Internet. This is the part of the book that can enrage and inspire, well-researched and very informative. To answer the question asked in the title, the author presents her idea of re-designing journalism and I am looking forward to see if she succeeds.
Seeing the best parts makes it even more regrettable that they were bundled with some mediocre writing. For me the downfall of the book was trying to write the author's whole life and every single experience into the grand scheme of things and turn it into a "teachable moment". It is still worth reading, but, oh, the lost potential!
I wish the book was focusing on the Information warfare, these chapters were by far the most successful. Suddenly there was an intent to the writing and the first-hand experiences of the author were supporting a clear thesis. Maria Ressa dissected the manipulation of information on the Internet. This is the part of the book that can enrage and inspire, well-researched and very informative. To answer the question asked in the title, the author presents her idea of re-designing journalism and I am looking forward to see if she succeeds.
Seeing the best parts makes it even more regrettable that they were bundled with some mediocre writing. For me the downfall of the book was trying to write the author's whole life and every single experience into the grand scheme of things and turn it into a "teachable moment". It is still worth reading, but, oh, the lost potential!
January 16, 2025
"We will not duck, we will not hide. We will hold the line." Memoir-ul unei femei curajoase, în lupta cu corupția puterii și cu tehnologia dezinformării prin High Tech, tot mai mult utilizată de autocrații lumii, de la ruși la chinezi, de la filipinezi la americani și la revigorarea ideilor de genul White supremacy. O carte neliniștitoare care plasează începutul secolului XXI în fața provocărilor produse de renașterea ideilor fasciste.
Read
February 18, 2023This is the remarkable memoir of the journalist par excellence, Maria Ressa, who received the Nobel Peace Prize along with Dmitry Muratov for their tremendous courage and stamina for news coverage amid increasingly threatening political environments. Readers who are apt to dismiss this book as a work of regional interest or of internal squabbles with a localized dictator could take a second look, because this book's overarching message is actually of global intent. Its real concern is the demise of idealistic journalism as the fourth estate and defender of the public sphere, and the rise of social media as the replacement rising in its vacuum. This is concerning because idealistic journalism intends to prioritize accountability, transparency, consistency, and explicitly articulated ethics and standards about the credibility of sources and fact-checking. In contrast, social media companies where people now encounter their news, are motivated by profit, have no pronounced fidelity to truth-seeking, and are also compromised by allegiances to digital authoritarians that can ensure their profitability. This is dangerous because the articles or declarations now produced in social media, unchecked and unverified, move quickly among friends of friends, determine the impressions and 'knowledge' we possess, and ultimately influence our emotions, and filter to govern our overarching political mindset. In the worst cases, disinformation can fuel political violence, and be very hard to contain. The absence of a shared foundation of facts engenders destabilization of our shared community, and thus endangers democracy-- we won't have a common ground or basis of facts to speak of or stand on. Thus, Maria Ressa wants to highlight this dangerous phase for democracies brought about by unregulated social media. We live in a time where global crises require concerted solutions, and all it takes for a reluctant special-interest company or dictatorial power to stymie solutions is to turn the tide of public opinion against progress through astroturfing or the weaponization of manufactured opinions or news on social media. As she points out, we are living in an age where people can ascend to the pivotal platforms of political punditry, with no credentials beyond a talent for virality through vulgarity, and a willingness to escalate attacks on journalists and repeat lies on social media.
Her authority to speak on this matter derives from long decades of experience as the bureau chief for CNN's Southeast station, where she served as reporter, witness and conduit to the Western world about the great changes, trends and revolutions happening in the Global South. A highly recommended read even if one breezes through the nitty-gritty details in the narration. It is written in clear but expressive and sophisticated manner.
Her authority to speak on this matter derives from long decades of experience as the bureau chief for CNN's Southeast station, where she served as reporter, witness and conduit to the Western world about the great changes, trends and revolutions happening in the Global South. A highly recommended read even if one breezes through the nitty-gritty details in the narration. It is written in clear but expressive and sophisticated manner.
October 5, 2024
So I've read books on the horrors of social media, and read books about the horrors of fascism, however I've haven't yet read anything that slapped the two topics together and made me wake up to just how dangerous a dystopia we're living through right now.
I realize it can all seem like a melodramatic exaggeration, but I challenge anyone to read this book and not feel the same. Technically this book is more of a biography of Nobel Prize winning Ressa and her Pilipino Media organsiation - but in many ways its an explanation of the benign and mundane slide into authoritarianism that is happening all around the world.
Ressa is refreshingly and inspirationally honest in this book. While often terse and to the point, its also super scary to see what Ressa has been up against in her efforts, from the aloof neglect of Mark Zuckerburg to the braggadocios politics of Strongmen dictators - Ressa isn't afraid (or more accurately overcomes her fear) of being vulnerable in service to the truth.
While this review has been somewhat gloomy, Ressa does offer hope, both in her own role-modelling and also offering very real advice against fascist misinformation etc etc. Highly recommended!
I realize it can all seem like a melodramatic exaggeration, but I challenge anyone to read this book and not feel the same. Technically this book is more of a biography of Nobel Prize winning Ressa and her Pilipino Media organsiation - but in many ways its an explanation of the benign and mundane slide into authoritarianism that is happening all around the world.
Ressa is refreshingly and inspirationally honest in this book. While often terse and to the point, its also super scary to see what Ressa has been up against in her efforts, from the aloof neglect of Mark Zuckerburg to the braggadocios politics of Strongmen dictators - Ressa isn't afraid (or more accurately overcomes her fear) of being vulnerable in service to the truth.
While this review has been somewhat gloomy, Ressa does offer hope, both in her own role-modelling and also offering very real advice against fascist misinformation etc etc. Highly recommended!
January 24, 2024
Democracy is fragile. You have to fight for every bit, every law, every safeguard, every institution, every story. You must know how dangerous it is to suffer even the tiniest cut. This is why I say to us all: we must hold the line.
June 6, 2023
This has to be one of the most relevant-in-the-moment nonfiction books I’ve ever read. If you want a book that is part memoir, but still delves into very pertinent topics (the spread of disinformation, the movement toward authoritarianism), this is perfect for you. The only part I had trouble with was when she talked about the specifics of how her company tracked issues and monitored things online. Those parts read more technically and couldn’t hold my interest, but I really liked hearing her story and appreciated the specific breakdown of what we, as individuals and institutions, can do to help.
January 8, 2023
Wow. Maria Ressa, what an actual badass. Her story is exhausting and upsetting, highly stressful, while also deeply inspirational and moving. She really deserved the Nobel Peace Prize and I am so proud that someone like her was the first Filipinx person to win it.
This book really focused on the weaponization of social media and the internet, the ways governments, corporations, policing institutions, and social media companies themselves intentionally sow confusion and doubt in an "easily exploitable information ecosystem".
Maria Ressa has fought for freedom of speech and Truth for DECADES. She, along with other journalists and newsmakers at Rappler, have exposed some truly SHOCKING things about the Filipino government, American electoral strategies, the silencing and amplification of certain narratives on social media platforms as political strategy, and political conspiracy in pursuit of power.
She has risked everything, and continued to live in a highly precarious situation because she refuses to back down to the intimidation tactics that seek to control and silence her.
Maria knows, better than almost anyone, how to rule of law crumbles from within, and this book invites us to a better understanding of that from her direct experiences.
This book is a cry out for change, for the freedom of speech and safety of journalists around the globe, and for transparency & justice in the future of social media.
I learned SO MUCH in reading this book. I cannot express enough, how important this book is.
This book really focused on the weaponization of social media and the internet, the ways governments, corporations, policing institutions, and social media companies themselves intentionally sow confusion and doubt in an "easily exploitable information ecosystem".
Maria Ressa has fought for freedom of speech and Truth for DECADES. She, along with other journalists and newsmakers at Rappler, have exposed some truly SHOCKING things about the Filipino government, American electoral strategies, the silencing and amplification of certain narratives on social media platforms as political strategy, and political conspiracy in pursuit of power.
She has risked everything, and continued to live in a highly precarious situation because she refuses to back down to the intimidation tactics that seek to control and silence her.
Maria knows, better than almost anyone, how to rule of law crumbles from within, and this book invites us to a better understanding of that from her direct experiences.
This book is a cry out for change, for the freedom of speech and safety of journalists around the globe, and for transparency & justice in the future of social media.
I learned SO MUCH in reading this book. I cannot express enough, how important this book is.
July 15, 2023
The book's title is misleading, and this is my first gripe with the book. I appreciate Maria Ressa's struggle against autocracy in the Philippines. Also, I appreciate her relentless fight against dictatorship.
The book is an autobiography and does not offer clues on how to stand up to a dictator. How can a journalist or citizen combat oppression without influential contacts?? She does not offer a clue, or any lessons, towards this end,
Once again, I respect her courage and her story. But the book does not fulfil the promise of the title. Her life story is inspiring, but her book does not inspire or educate.
The book is an autobiography and does not offer clues on how to stand up to a dictator. How can a journalist or citizen combat oppression without influential contacts?? She does not offer a clue, or any lessons, towards this end,
Once again, I respect her courage and her story. But the book does not fulfil the promise of the title. Her life story is inspiring, but her book does not inspire or educate.
March 20, 2023
“Colonialism didn’t end, it just moved to the internet.� 😮💨😮�
This and so many other quotes from this book made me feel all sorts of frustrated, hopeful, fearful, and excited for the future. As a Fil-Am immigrant, I resonated with just about everything in Maria Ressa’s accounts of American and Filipino elections and I appreciated such quantitative detail and thoughtful care to cite facts even though they could be dense at times. Inspired by this trailblazing woman and now I want a hard copy on my shelf!
This and so many other quotes from this book made me feel all sorts of frustrated, hopeful, fearful, and excited for the future. As a Fil-Am immigrant, I resonated with just about everything in Maria Ressa’s accounts of American and Filipino elections and I appreciated such quantitative detail and thoughtful care to cite facts even though they could be dense at times. Inspired by this trailblazing woman and now I want a hard copy on my shelf!
June 6, 2024
I first heard of one night watching Stephen Colbert's show. On the show she discussed her book, . I was so very impressed listening to her talk that I felt I should get the book. So, of course, I did. I'm glad that I did, even though the subject matter is very depressing.
The story is a biography but it is focused on the past few years when Maria was working as a reporter and more in the Phillipines. She worked for the biggest broadcaster in the Phillipines, ABS - CBN. She worked for CNN as a Far East as a reporter and bureau chief. With broadcasting friends, she established Rappeler, an innovative online news organization which was one of the most successful on the Facebook platform.
However, this story is mainly a cautionary tale. Maria has spent the latter years fighting the corruption of the Duterte regime in the Phillipines and has had to deal with online harassment from Duterte's hate platforms, as well as fight against corruption charges from a corrupt regime. All the while, she has continued to work for freedom of the press, for an honest press. She received a Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts.
It's a fascinating story and a warning. Despots and fascists and right wing fanatics have taken over the internet, use Facebook to spew vitriol and to ruin peoples' lives. The Duterte regime was expert at this and this skill has been passed to other right wing regimes; Hungary, Myanmar, even the US.
Maria Ressa tries to explain how to fight back. She has 3 pillars to fight with -
- Technology. Demand accountability from technology starting with government action. One thing that Rappeler rolled out was Lighthouse, a technology platform built by journalists to try to preserve public discourse around facts.
- Protect and grow investigative journalism. There is a global initiative International Fund for Public Interest Media, a short - medium term solution to the drop in advertising revenues of news groups all around the world.
- Build larger and larger communities of action. Collaborate to protect frontline journalists.
It's a constant fight to preserve democracy and a free press is part of that. The story is well - written, interesting, tense and provides a great picture of Maria and her friends / partners and their efforts to keep reporting under horrendous pressure. It should be read because one thing Donald Trump and allies want is an uneducated public and part of the way to achieve that is to seed and foment distrust against a free press. Anyway, check it out. (4.5 stars)
The story is a biography but it is focused on the past few years when Maria was working as a reporter and more in the Phillipines. She worked for the biggest broadcaster in the Phillipines, ABS - CBN. She worked for CNN as a Far East as a reporter and bureau chief. With broadcasting friends, she established Rappeler, an innovative online news organization which was one of the most successful on the Facebook platform.
However, this story is mainly a cautionary tale. Maria has spent the latter years fighting the corruption of the Duterte regime in the Phillipines and has had to deal with online harassment from Duterte's hate platforms, as well as fight against corruption charges from a corrupt regime. All the while, she has continued to work for freedom of the press, for an honest press. She received a Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts.
It's a fascinating story and a warning. Despots and fascists and right wing fanatics have taken over the internet, use Facebook to spew vitriol and to ruin peoples' lives. The Duterte regime was expert at this and this skill has been passed to other right wing regimes; Hungary, Myanmar, even the US.
Maria Ressa tries to explain how to fight back. She has 3 pillars to fight with -
- Technology. Demand accountability from technology starting with government action. One thing that Rappeler rolled out was Lighthouse, a technology platform built by journalists to try to preserve public discourse around facts.
- Protect and grow investigative journalism. There is a global initiative International Fund for Public Interest Media, a short - medium term solution to the drop in advertising revenues of news groups all around the world.
- Build larger and larger communities of action. Collaborate to protect frontline journalists.
It's a constant fight to preserve democracy and a free press is part of that. The story is well - written, interesting, tense and provides a great picture of Maria and her friends / partners and their efforts to keep reporting under horrendous pressure. It should be read because one thing Donald Trump and allies want is an uneducated public and part of the way to achieve that is to seed and foment distrust against a free press. Anyway, check it out. (4.5 stars)
February 11, 2025
"Don't manipulate the worst of human nature for power, because it cripples the next generation."
10/10 - easily one of the best books I've read in my life. Probably because it's so poignant with the current political times. I recommend everyone to read this as it gives an insight to the path the U.S. is on, paralleling with the Philippines.
10/10 - easily one of the best books I've read in my life. Probably because it's so poignant with the current political times. I recommend everyone to read this as it gives an insight to the path the U.S. is on, paralleling with the Philippines.
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