Tackling online misogyny - Whose Truth? The Documentary, BBC World Service

As increasing numbers of female leaders step away from public life because of online harassment, Nobel Prize laureate Maria Ressa explains the political impact.
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She talks to Babita Sharma about the fight to stop social media being used to spread lies and hate against powerful women.
Babita also speaks to two female digital pioneers. Lucina Di Meco is the co-founder of the US-based group #ShePersisted, which addresses the digital threat faced by women in politics. Audrey Pe is founder of the non-profit organisation WiTech, which aims to inspire young people to use technology to bring positive change.
00:00 Rodrigo Duterte and the Philippine drug war
01:20 Philippine journalists under attack
02:27 Maria Ressa wins Nobel Peace Prize
03:16 Maria Ressa targeted by disinformation campaign
05:03 Online gendered attacks on the rise
07:22 Maria Ressa fears physical attack
08:31 Are tech companies fuelling online gendered attacks?
09:45 How can we stop the hate?
12:05 Getting more women into technology
This content was created as a co-production between Nobel Prize Outreach and the BBC. Watch more in this playlist 👉🏽 • Whose Truth?
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[@sarahlevine776]

By the way, I challenge everyone who is in a country with an election coming up to hold a Registration and a Voting After Party! The idea is to get a group of your friends who haven't registered to vote, go get them registered and then have a party. Then when it's time to vote, get that same group of friends and go vote, then have a party. Let's make this an Internet Challenge.

[@Eccentric-YURR]

What kind of hashtag should we use for this internet challenge?

[@unaa9380]

It’s also a core cultural issue where respect for others is not important or even taught, most boys are raised knowing it’s ok to disrespect or bully others usually with no consequences

[@mk__cyanheron1154]

News are regulated, news are legally accountable. System of standards and ethics for every news organisation that keeps them accountable to people. -- Maybe in Philipines, but the amount of lies, manipulation, strawman, playing on emotions, ad persona attacks etc. is absolutely rampant on the news platforms (on both sides) with no accountability or even admiting or fixing mistakes.

[@seanmcmurphy4744]

Not on news platforms, on social media. Traditional newsmedia - Radio, TV news programs, newspapers, magazines, websites, etc. are liable to be sued for damages if they lie. It is social media platforms, Facebook, Twitter, KZbin, TikTok, Instagram, etc that are legally immune from suits, due to Section 230 of the FCC Communications Decency Act of 1996. Social media is where the huge flood of lies, manipulation, and troll attacks are coming from

[@disaffected_malcontent]

that's crazy and I never knew that. do you know if this is a phenomena in other countries around the world?

[@DaysAreForgottenBaby]

Ay María… you’re being prophetic here

[@BBCWorldService]

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[@helianabanes4875]

This is important, but seems rushed, and disjointed. Maybe it is my fault, but I just kept hoping that this would draw me in more. It was the opposite of captivating, and not really portraying the real danger here.

[@disaffected_malcontent]

it should be a battle of ideas, counter bad rotten ideas with good and righteous ones. we need more freedom, not less.

[@Sad_bumper_sticker.]

Are you saying you think Corporations CEOs, Universitity leading academics, Public school teachers, and Politicians should be „freely” claim women are mentally intellectually subserviant and „biologically talented” to be childminders, bring up kids instead of work professionally, take care of elderly caregivers, not go into STEM because e.g. „they menstruate”? Is this the sexist misogynistic reality where such sexist misogynistiic degrading claims should be made „In the Name of Freedom of Speech so Citizens can choose”? Did you even watch the video? You calling for „Freedom of Speech” in a comment ignoring that the Journalist and Politician received death threats and was called a „Press-prostitute”? You are callimg for a world where Companies can opely call for female employees to openly be banned from being accepted for managerial roles, because e.g. a Male or a few Males at a company „Freely say women are worse workets than mens so they cannot apply for a Leadership Role”. This wpuld be your hateful degrading Freedom of Speech. And according to your slogans, „Freedom” would prevail because the women in those companies, schools, governmental offices, media companies could „Freely” „DEBATE THEIR GENDER EQUALITY” and „debate” their Equal Rights with the men who „Freely oppose women’s equality”. How morally reprehensible and undemocratic is the notion and „Freedom of Speech” world you are calling for. May Gender Equality reach all countries.

[@disaffected_malcontent]

​@@Sad_bumper_sticker. I believe the answer to your question is yes. all ideas should be free to be expressed, and the good ones will win in the battle of ideas because people naturally gravitate towards what is good. but in order for this to work we need total freedom, no censorship, no manipulation. freedom to tell the unpleasant truths, freedom to state the facts.

[@disaffected_malcontent]

you're right I skimmed through the video, I heard the "white supremacist" trope in 2024 as if there is a secret cabal of white men ruling the planet, it sounds similar to the antisemitic trope but implemented on white men. Jewish people are not running the planet in a secret cabal and white people are not running the planet in a secret cabal, these are derogatory and inflammatory stereotypes. I should have paid more attention to the video and what the exact issues are in the Philippines and Robert Duterte, I'm sure it's very bad there but where I live in the UK women are not treated like that, everybody is equal and free, if companies for skme controversial reason don't or do want to hire women then I think that's their prerogative to hire who they want for their own profit incentives etc. it costs a lot of money for companies to employ anybody, thousands of pounds at least per person. talented women will get hired if the jobs are there. this is just life. I am really sorry life for women is so rough especially in places around the world like the Philippines, not exclusively the Philippines of course. women's rights, freedom and most importantly equality were established and fought for in great Western countries like the UK and the USA and we should be championing that. ​@@Sad_bumper_sticker.

[@tothelighthouse9843]

It's not a battle of ideas tho. High-profile women online are being deluged by violent threats, misogynistic bullying, gendered abuse. That's not a battle of ideas, it's online misogynist VIOLENCE & ABUSE. The response to that kind of violence & abuse has to be consequences for the perpetrators. That's how it works irl, that's how it needs to work online. We won't get to the battle of ideas until we tackle the abuse & violence.

[@disaffected_malcontent]

@@tothelighthouse9843 I'm not entirely sure that's correct, unless we're talking about illegal things like threats or fraud, it really takes a lot "irl" to get punished for simply saying something. I mean I do understand where you're coming from, but I also disagreed with this "presstitute" gendered term, for the simple fact that male prostitution exists, and to myself presstitute sounds more like an analogy used to describe a media organisation or a journalist perceived to be selling out, that makes more sense to me. again I don't know the full context of this situation in the Philippines however.

[@disaffected_malcontent]

i genuinely question "prestitite", after thinking about it, as being a "gendered term", both men and women have been prostitutes throughout history. although i didn't pick up the context from this video. the use of the term "presstitute" is, i would think, used analogously to describe media organisations selling out, thats my thoughts.

[@tvmi-bb4cn]

DUTERTE CLEAN THE PHILIPPINES DURING HIS TERM, GREAT PRESIDENT ! WE FILIPINO LOVE DUTERTE

[@tangerinetypo9861]

The people who are more influenced by hormones and animal instincts have experienced great benefits by obeying people with lesser animal instincts. And yes, it has to be obeying; otherwise there is no benefit

[@TuesdaysMusica]

I AM A REAL BIOLOGICAL WOMAN AND I EXIST

[@mohdnorzaihar2632]

It's very clear in a bible & Quran that a man is the head of family but all wife has its own "right" according to Islam ☪️..peace be upon you'll out there

[@disaffected_malcontent]

that's backwards beliefs from the 7th century. very few Christians behave anything like this, whereas the vast majority of Muslims really do still live like this.

[@anjaplushenka5995]

*Not all peoples in the world are Muslim or are followers of Islam. You and your quran have no right to dictate the freedoms of others.*

[@tothelighthouse9843]

If I said to you that it's time western culture passes laws to ensure Muslims are treated as second class citizens in the West, do you think that would be ok? Laws ensuring Muslims are denied the right to lead in any way--denied the right to enter politics, lead mosques, work as journalists or doctors, work in any positions of management...would you be happy about that? White people run everything, but you'd still have special "Muslim rights" like deciding what tv channel you watch & choosing what food you eat. Would you be happy being relegated to being a second class citizen because "they say so"? Fundamentalist religious men like fundamentalist christians & Muslims KNOW they're denying women equal rights, but believe it's perfectly acceptable to do to women what these same men would be outraged to have done to themselves. Hypocrisy, discrimination & unfairness from the 'religions of love & peace'.

[@roystonmarshall5027]

Islam says women must obey men,....are you saying islam,Muhammed and Muslims are wrong?..speak up,I cannot hurt you...🤔

[@louisewilliams5792]

Yep wrong. All humans are equal. How you treat others and what you contribute to society defines your worth not your gender. There are some truly amazing women out there being oppressed. Open your mind and if I'm honest I know Islam does not say that and you have simply interpreted it in a way you prefer to excuse your behaviour. Your mother, your sisters, does their voice mean less to you? Do you have children? Thank your wife for that amazing gift but take her voice. Yep makes sense 🤦

[@roystonmarshall5027]

@louisewilliams5792 your wrong,..The Quran is from God,..it says clearly,..women must obey men,...because the west has not enforced this idea,..men are not doing what women want,..in our muslim dominated country's,we have no such issues,..women/girls are quiet when told to do so by their husbands/fathers...this will happen in Europe over time,..more muslim immigration,more political power,..do not ever dare say islam is wrong,it is not,..its you who are wrong?... Obey men,..you life will get better🤔

[@disaffected_malcontent]

oh no no no no no, they will never talk about Islam! that goes against their agenda entirely.

[@disaffected_malcontent]

​@@louisewilliams5792do just a little research, it's not hard to see. you think it's right that men force women to cover their hair? come on! wake up

[@roystonmarshall5027]

@louisewilliams5792 ..I am not wrong about islam,Louise ...having read the Quran twice and all the relevant other islamic scriptures,be they from the hadiths,sharia law,suna,sura,life of Muhammed...you must obey your husbands,the man can have 4 wives,a man can demand sex whenever he wants and not be refused,he can hit his wife if she is disobedient,he can divorce his wife by saying "I divorce thee" 3 times,..pedophilia prostitution & child marriage are all legal....but don't believe me,google it,if you need help just get back to me..