While the people behind the network tried to conceal their identities, Facebook said it was linked to Mr. Gabunada.
In a 2016 interview with Rappler, Mr. Gabunada denied that Mr. Duterte’s social media campaign had used fake accounts and said it had depended on the ability to organize groups of supporters who formed organically online.
After Rappler reported on the matter, Ms. Ressa wrote that she “received an average of 90 hate messages per hour for the next month.” Last year Rappler began working with Facebook to help identify fake news on its platform, but its fact checkers say the American social media giant should do more.
Rappler, a scrappy investigative and entertainment website that Ms. Ressa started in 2012, has been the principal focus of much of Mr. Duterte’s campaign against the news media in the Philippines. Last year its license was revoked, and it is currently facing 11 charges.
“This latest episode is not surprising and we prepared ourselves for it,” Francis Lim, Ms. Ressa’s lawyer, said in a statement. “But let it be crystal clear that these acts of harassment will not deter our clients from doing their duty as journalists.”
There are also seven outstanding charges against Ms. Ressa herself, including defamation, evading taxes and violating complex security laws.
Rappler and other news media outlets in the country have doggedly covered a brutal war waged by Mr. Duterte against drug dealers and users that has left thousands of people dead. The coverage has helped prompt international rebuke.
Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/28/business/media/maria-ressa-arrested-philippines-rappler.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
Speak Your Mind
You must be logged in to post a comment.