Maria Ressa: Attention Economy - What Leadership Looks Like When Loyalty has been Replaced by Hype and Outrage | EDGE 2026
EDGE 2026 Excerpts
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12-Feb-2026
At EDGE 2026 in Sydney, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa delivers a stark analysis of narrative warfare, institutional collapse, and the erosion of trust in democratic societies. Drawing from her experience leading Rappler through political persecution in the Philippines, she explains how technology platforms, algorithmic incentives, and identity-driven narratives are reshaping reality itself.
Ressa outlines the systemic breakdown of institutional gatekeepers and argues that rebuilding democracy requires a whole-of-society response: reclaiming technology, investing in journalism, and strengthening community-level resilience. The session challenges leaders to draw the line, hold the line, and defend information integrity in a moment she describes as critical for the survival of democracy.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
• Democracy depends on restoring information integrity and institutional trust
• Narrative warfare displaces policy debate with identity conflict
• Platform design amplifies outrage and monetizes polarization
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