In this EDGE - Beyond The Stage 1:1, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa warns that our public information ecosystem has become “toxic sludge” - addictive, manipulative, and optimized for profit. She argues that when technology outpaces government safeguards, democracies become vulnerable to illiberal leaders elected through distorted realities. Ressa points to 2026 as a pivotal year for whether news organizations, civil society, and democratic checks and balances can still function. Her call to leaders is clear: define your values, build courage, and organize communities of action anchored in facts.

Takeaways:
• Social media is “addictive” and “manipulative”, and a broken information ecosystem can “turn the world upside down.”
• “2026 look at it” - she frames 2026 as a decisive year for institutions, civil society, and the survival of shared reality.
• Leadership requires “courage” aligned to values, and leaders should “build communities of action, anchor them in facts.”