The BIG, If True webinar series is an ongoing conversation driven by the Technology and Social Change Research Project at the Shorenstein Center, inspired by the monumental societal and technical shifts happening as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The webinars focus on media manipulation, disinformation, and the future of democracy during a pandemic. They include researchers from the TaSC team and across Harvard Kennedy School, alongside journalists and other topical experts.

In this episode of BIG, If True, we’ll reflect on the hybrid battles being waged by journalists, activists, and dissidents against censorship and disinformation in Southeast Asia. The discussion will trace the genesis of the recent attacks on the freedom to expression, from the rise and fall of the Anti-Fake News Act in Malaysia to the conviction of Rappler CEO and Editor Maria Ressa and former Rappler researcher-writer Reynaldo Santos over cyber libel charges — a conviction that has been widely reported as a strike against press freedom and democracy in the Philippines. In light of these extraordinary censorship measures, this webinar will chart the broader efforts being made by civil society to counter the repression of free speech.

Joined by esteemed panelists Glenda Gloria, Jonathan Corpus Ong, and Gabrielle Lim, host Joan Donovan will ask: Has the fight against disinformation been co-opted by repressive governments? What has prompted this regional trend towards illiberal legislation? How have journalists, activists, and dissidents responded to the clamping down of free expression? And how can we begin to uncoil the tightly wound strands of censorship and disinformation?

Click here to register and for more information on the speakers.