@inquirerdotnet Sec. Gilbert Teodoro joins Hall of Fame with former SC Justice Conchita Morales who was barred from entering Hongkong for filing a case against Pres Xi Jinping
New: "Why Should We Care if Beijing’s Propaganda is Attacking Journalists who Report Critically on China?"
What happens when you publish an investigation that an authoritarian superpower doesn't want the world to see? Journalist @RegineCabato found out.
A contributor at the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism and former Washington Post correspondent in Manila, Regine published an explainer exposing how pro-China disinformation networks have taken root in Filipino social media feeds. The Chinese Embassy in Manila responded by attacking PCIJ online and putting her face on its social media posts - unleashing a torrent of harassment, sexist abuse, and smears labeling her a "CIA plant" and a tool of U.S. interests.
In this episode, @GordianKnotRay and Jim sit down with Regine to unpack what happened and why it matters far beyond the Philippines. She walks us through how she identified the red flags of pro-Beijing propaganda, why participation in China-sponsored journalist programs isn't automatically disqualifying but the rhetoric that follows often is, and how influence operations exploit the overlap between pro-Duterte networks and pro-China narratives without ever being overtly traceable to the Chinese state.
Regine also reveals the personal toll: the midnight moment her phone lit up with the embassy's post, watching the hate campaign build in real time, and why she says the attacks are actually a sign her reporting is landing. She reflects on the solidarity she received from the Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters Without Borders and Philippine press organizations - and why the Philippines remains one of the last places in the region where journalists can still report critically on China.
The conversation ranges across transnational repression, U.S. credibility under the Trump administration, the weaponization of foreign-funding smears, and the broader chilling effect on Filipino newsrooms. Regine closes with a message for young reporters weighing whether to take on a powerful government: it's not for everyone, but any project that defends democratic discussion is worth it.
Links to full episode below.
@rapplerdotcom When youre benefiting from one brand its not really ethical to advertise another brand even if its not specifically prohibited in the marketing contract
The greatest enabler of Duterte and undeniably balimbing politiko of the country, Alan Peter Cayetano where are you now? Why so silent? Is it because the circumstances are no longer serving your failure agendas and interests?
Cancel the Cayetanos! 🙄🤣
@nabunturanguy Napansin ko rin yan, malalakas pero nagpapa wheelchair. Makumpara mo sa foreigners pag nag travel sila abroad o sa loob lang ng bansa, paisa isa at talagang makita mo matatanda sila o may kapansanan lang ang nagpapa wheel chair.
Today is Sierra Madre Day. Let’s not forget how Sierra Madre helps us when big typhoons come to threaten our livelihoods and our life. But the Chinese-funded Kaliwa dam is the kind of project that should be stopped before it further destroys our protector. #SaveSierraMadre
And how were they able to ‘build’ this multimedia empire? As corruption-convict Imelda Romualdez Marcos once said: “Some are smarter than others.” An excerpt from that book of the same title: