Maria Ressa Compares Trump to Rodrigo Duterte, Says the U.S. Is Sliding Into ‘Authoritarianism’

Bennett Nobel Peace Prize ░░░░░░░░ and investigative journalist Maria ░░░░░░░░ has long fought for ░░░░░░░░ press freedom Her book ░░░░░░░░ to Stand Up to ░░░░░░░░ Dictator detailed her experience ░░░░░░░░ the news site Rappler ░░░░░░░░ the increasingly autocratic regime ░░░░░░░░ President Rodrigo Duterte in ░░░░░░░░ Philippines She recently sat ░░░░░░░░ with Amna Nawaz to ░░░░░░░░ parallels she s seeing ░░░░░░░░ the Philippines and the ░░░░░░░░ S under President Trump ░░░░░░░░ s part of our ░░░░░░░░ series On Democracy which ░░░░░░░░ on the laws institutions ░░░░░░░░ norms that have shaped ░░░░░░░░ country and the challenges ░░░░░░░░ face today Clip starts ░░░░░░░░ Maria welcome back to ░░░░░░░░ News Hour Thank you ░░░░░░░░ much for joining us ░░░░░░░░ Thanks for having me ░░░░░░░░ So there s been ░░░░░░░░ lot of concerns you ░░░░░░░░ seen about President Trump ░░░░░░░░ continuing attacks on the ░░░░░░░░ and concerns about a ░░░░░░░░ of press freedom I ░░░░░░░░ you to start by ░░░░░░░░ comparing what you lived ░░░░░░░░ what you documented what ░░░░░░░░ covered under Duterte with ░░░░░░░░ we ve seen in ░░░░░░░░ first several weeks of ░░░░░░░░ second Trump Administration so ░░░░░░░░ RESSA It s exactly ░░░░░░░░ we ve lived through ░░░░░░░░ accelerated It s incredible ░░░░░░░░ fast it s going ░░░░░░░░ part of that is ░░░░░░░░ right But what we ░░░░░░░░ in the Philippines is ░░░░░░░░ six months of the ░░░░░░░░ Constitution of the Philippines ░░░░░░░░ patterned after the United ░░░░░░░░ We have three branches ░░░░░░░░ government and a powerful ░░░░░░░░ but within six months ░░░░░░░░ the election of Rodrigo ░░░░░░░░ of him taking office ░░░░░░░░ of the checks and ░░░░░░░░ had collapsed He was ░░░░░░░░ all powerful the most ░░░░░░░░ leader the country had ░░░░░░░░ known And critical to ░░░░░░░░ crucial to that is ░░░░░░░░ the press and the ░░░░░░░░ system the court system ░░░░░░░░ And I think that ░░░░░░░░ what we re beginning ░░░░░░░░ see right now NAWAZ ░░░░░░░░ me ask you about ░░░░░░░░ few individual things we ░░░░░░░░ seen You ve obviously ░░░░░░░░ the president go after ░░░░░░░░ news networks He s ░░░░░░░░ opened a probe into ░░░░░░░░ we should note He ░░░░░░░░ also blocked access for ░░░░░░░░ Associated Press known as ░░░░░░░░ AP for their refusal ░░░░░░░░ call it just the ░░░░░░░░ of America as he ░░░░░░░░ They call it the ░░░░░░░░ of Mexico and say ░░░░░░░░ wants to change the ░░░░░░░░ Now the AP we ░░░░░░░░ note serves thousands of ░░░░░░░░ organizations They have a ░░░░░░░░ in every single statehouse ░░░░░░░░ America hundreds of countries ░░░░░░░░ over a hundred countries ░░░░░░░░ the world What does ░░░░░░░░ say to you that ░░░░░░░░ s going after the ░░░░░░░░ What s at stake ░░░░░░░░ their lawsuit against the ░░░░░░░░ here RESSA It s ░░░░░░░░ just press freedom that ░░░░░░░░ at stake right And ░░░░░░░░ let me ground it ░░░░░░░░ in what happened in ░░░░░░░░ Philippines Our president then ░░░░░░░░ after the largest newspaper ░░░░░░░░ largest television station and ░░░░░░░░ online we were the ░░░░░░░░ We were number three ░░░░░░░░ go big go fast ░░░░░░░░ them down quickly Make ░░░░░░░░ example I was the ░░░░░░░░ of a journalist I ░░░░░░░░ had oh my gosh ░░░░░░░░ long career I had ░░░░░░░░ the largest network in ░░░░░░░░ Philippines after almost 20 ░░░░░░░░ with CNN And then ░░░░░░░░ the charges came so ░░░░░░░░ social media that tax ░░░░░░░░ bottom up you say ░░░░░░░░ lie a million times ░░░░░░░░ becomes a fact And ░░░░░░░░ was that journalist equals ░░░░░░░░ Two years before I ░░░░░░░░ actually arrested they trended ░░░░░░░░ the network that was ░░░░░░░░ online So the propaganda ░░░░░░░░ a year later we ░░░░░░░░ the first criminal charges ░░░░░░░░ of them And then ░░░░░░░░ two years later by ░░░░░░░░ I was arrested And ░░░░░░░░ it was 10 criminal ░░░░░░░░ in a little over ░░░░░░░░ year Look what you ░░░░░░░░ seeing is death by ░░░░░░░░ thousand cuts of democracy ░░░░░░░░ is exactly what I ░░░░░░░░ written about in the ░░░░░░░░ originally I was speaking ░░░░░░░░ Filipinos but it is ░░░░░░░░ cautionary tale for every ░░░░░░░░ where technology is the ░░░░░░░░ that allows populism to ░░░░░░░░ authoritarianism and to shift ░░░░░░░░ I think we re ░░░░░░░░ this now.”
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