On September 1, 2025, Maria Ressa, the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and co-founder of the Philippine news site Rappler, delivered a searing keynote address at the National Press Club in Canberra. Her message was clear, urgent, and deeply personal: Australia stands at a crossroads in the global battle for truth and democracy, and the nation’s recent decisions on regulating social media and big tech could shape its democratic future for years to come.
Ressa, who endured ten separate arrest attempts under former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte, didn’t mince words about the dangers posed by unchecked digital platforms. "The greatest threat we face today isn't any individual leader or one government," she declared, as reported by The Guardian. "It's the technology that's amplifying authoritarian tactics worldwide." For Ressa, this isn’t just theory—it’s lived experience. Her reporting on Duterte’s regime, now under investigation by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, earned her both international acclaim and relentless government persecution.
In her Canberra speech, Ressa criticized the Australian federal government’s 2024 decision to abandon a bill that would have required social media companies to actively police misinformation. The legislation, which failed to pass the Senate, would have granted the national communications watchdog the authority to remove content deemed disinformation. The move to scrap the bill drew sharp criticism from Ressa, who called it "a mistake—one that countries are never aware of until attacked." According to Sydney Morning Herald, she stressed, "The human rights we deserve in the physical world, we deserve in the virtual world."
The abandoned bill had sparked heated debate in Australia’s parliament. Former opposition leader Peter Dutton labeled it a "dangerous" attempt to censor free speech, echoing concerns raised by the Greens and other coalition members about potential overreach and threats to civil liberties. Yet Ressa argued that platforms profiting from lies must be held accountable for the democratic damage they inflict on users of all ages. She warned that the tactics used by Duterte in the Philippines—manipulating information, undermining the press, and weaponizing social media—are now being exported globally. "What happened in the Philippines under Duterte is a template that's exported globally," she said. "I'm deeply concerned about similar patterns emerging in democracies all around the world, including here."
Ressa’s warnings extend beyond the Philippines and Australia. She cited the United States as a cautionary example, pointing to former President Donald Trump’s billion-dollar lawsuits against American media outlets, threats to revoke broadcast licenses, and efforts to bar journalists from the White House. These, she argued, are authoritarian tactics amplified by technology and enabled by democratic governments that have abdicated their responsibility to protect the public. "Social media and generative artificial intelligence gave authoritarian leaders the power to create media distrust, and control narratives with lies," Ressa observed, as reported by The Age.
Ressa’s critique was not limited to government inaction. She was scathing about the negative effect social media giants like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have had on freedom and freedom of expression. "Their algorithms spread infection," she explained, referencing an MIT study from 2018 that showed lies, especially those laced with fear and anger, spread faster than facts. "The business model that rewards engagement over facts has made us all complicit in tearing apart our societies."
Despite her criticism, Ressa found cause for optimism in Australia’s recent decision to implement a world-first social media ban for children under 16, set to take effect in December 2025. The law will shift responsibility onto social media companies—including Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube—to prevent underage access, rather than placing the burden on parents or children. Ressa welcomed the move, comparing it to alcohol regulation: "There's a place for social media but there is not a place for predatory algorithms targeting children," she said. "Platforms must be accountable for underage users." This, she argued, sends a clear message that Australia is willing to lead globally in protecting young people from the potentially harmful effects of social media.
But Ressa was quick to caution that such measures are only the beginning. She urged Australia not to become complacent, noting that the country lacks a constitutional guarantee of press freedom and has enacted 82 national security laws since 2001—more than any other democracy. Combined with defamation laws that make it relatively easy to bring and win lawsuits, she warned, Australia has created "a perfect storm for the erosion of press freedom." Media ownership concentration, shrinking regional news outlets, and thousands of lost journalism jobs have left many communities in what Ressa described as "information deserts." "When local news dies, democracy withers," she told the audience.
Nevertheless, Ressa recognized Australia’s unique strengths. The country’s public broadcaster, ABC, maintains relatively high public trust, and civil society is still mobilizing for press freedom—evident in campaigns for a media freedom act and proposals for a constitutional referendum. "You’re actually having the conversation that many democracies are not," she remarked, highlighting the importance of public debate and engagement.
Ressa outlined a three-pronged strategy for Australia to safeguard its democracy: regulate big tech, build public interest technology, and strengthen press protections. She called on news organizations to stop "feeding the machine that’s destroying us" and to invest in their own technology platforms that foster real conversations without manipulation. At Rappler, she explained, they are building a "public interest tech stack" and collaborating with other independent news groups to create a global network of trustworthy journalism.
Most importantly, Ressa urged the government to invest in truth. "Just as governments invest in roads, bridges and power grids, they must invest in the information infrastructure that democracy requires," she argued. This includes passing a robust media freedom act, creating shield laws to protect journalists and their sources, establishing contestable warrant processes before raids on media organizations, and funding media literacy programs. "Democracy isn’t free—it requires investment," she concluded.
Ressa’s address left the audience with a stark choice. "Australia has time that other democracies have squandered. You have advantages that the Philippines didn’t have. You have institutions that America may be losing. The question now is, what will you do with the advantages you have? The choice, ultimately, is yours. But don’t take too long Australia. Democracy’s enemies are not waiting."
As Australia prepares to implement its landmark social media age restrictions and debates the future of digital regulation, Ressa’s words serve as both a warning and a rallying cry. The fate of democracy, she insists, depends on the choices made today—in Canberra and beyond.
