SXSW Review: 'A Thousand Cuts' Holds a Chilling Mirror to Abuse of Power through Social Media Manipulation
For short periods of time throughout history, ideals of countries seem to rest on lone individuals’ shoulders. For the United States, some would point to Martin Luther King’s leadership during the Civil Rights Movement as a time when the ideals of “all men are created equal” rested on his shoulders. More recently for Pakistan, Malala’s fight for equality in education rings true. And for the current chapter in Philippine history, it seems the ideals of the country rest on online reporter Maria Ressa.
The Philippine Drug War has not made long-lasting international headlines since its start with the inauguration of president Rodrigo Duterte in 2016, but more often than not it seems like it should be. In just over three years, an estimated 12,000 people have been killed in the name of eradicating the country’s drug users. While campaigning, Duterte makes this war a centerpiece of his future administration’s plan to better the country. “The illegal drugs war will not be sidelined,” he says on film. Elaborating, “I am not asking for a term, I’m asking for three to six months[to do this].” These bold promises raise questions on the campaign trail. In one memorable campaign stop interview, Duterte produces a list he claims contains all known drug dealers in the country. Maria Ressa, the interviewer and CEO of Philippine-based news website Rappler, presses him both on the accuracy of the list and how these people can be sentenced to death without a trial. Duterte provides no substantive rebuttal. But with that, the first blow in a long fight has unknowingly begun.
What follows is director Ramona S. Diaz’s A Thousand Cuts, a chilling and relentless look at the current state of the Philippines. Diaz manages exclusive access to Ressa and her company Rappler as they attempt to report accurately on Duterte’s administration. We see actual Rappler headlines fade on and off the screen as Duterte doubles down on the Drug War, at some points calling on citizens to take it upon themselves to enforce his words. They seemingly do as corpses are found in the street across the country almost immediately. In plain terms, the president asked his citizens to kill one another and some obeyed. Concurrently, a similar method of manipulation is being employed against Rappler and Ressa. Duterte consistently escalates his degrading remarks about Rappler and their reporting using the wide-reaching platform of the presidency. Soon people show up to Rappler headquarters unannounced trying to enter and joking that they have a desire to bomb the place. Ressa and Rappler are forced to hire armed security while they maintain their journalistic integrity.
It’s a familiar situation, unfortunately. A Thousand Cuts is a single data point in a sea of recent national leaders who deploy the same tactics. First, deny any wrong-doing. Then, question the integrity of any outlet willing to contest your denial. Finally, systematically obscure the truth. Repeat this process for any consumer medium and it becomes the new normal. What explains the recent trend now though? Well, until recently, if you wanted to harness the influential force of media you had to go through newspapers and television anchors. Now, it means you just need Facebook, Twitter, and any other social media platform. Diaz and her crew were able to calculate that, just in the Philippines, twenty-six fake accounts online could spread disinformation to 3 million citizens. Duterte himself is suspected of having more than twenty-six fake accounts trying to sway public opinion in his favor. For her part in reporting, Ressa receives about ninety hate messages sent to her every hour. That is the price to pay for maintaining a free press.
Diaz sets out to show how any country can quickly slide into practices against their own constitution. While most of the events portrayed are harrowing in and of themselves, Diaz’s ending surpasses them all, showing the fight ongoing, both for the truth, for justice, and for the Drug War. How have these values espoused by Duterte continue to grow alongside Ressa’s critical voice against him? Ressa herself was awarded the TIME Magazine Person of the Year in 2018 for her reporting on the Drug War. How does Duterte’s reach and influence seem to be increasing? Diaz leaves this sinisterly unresolved. A Thousand Cuts can only offer us a glimpse into how these thoughts permeate the country. Time is spent following two Duterte-sympathizers and their quest for public office. In their tangents, the scale of Duterte’s social media disinformation campaign and influence becomes clear. Every new perspective shows the authoritarian rot sinking into the foundation of the current administration. While the end is not in sight, it does not mean the fight is over. In these dark times for the Philippines and for any citizen seeing a bit of their own country in A Thousand Cuts, it’s comforting to know the ideals at stake are resting squarely on someone like Maria Ressas’ shoulders.
—
