Filipino journalist Maria Ressa, founder of Rappler and 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, compared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Russian President Vladimir Putin during her speech at the DW Global Media Forum in Bonn. Ressa criticized the impunity of major technology companies that allow disinformation and dehumanization on their platforms, drawing parallels to the impunity enjoyed by leaders like Putin and Netanyahu.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, part of the discussion titled "The Power of Democracy," disagreed with the comparison, stating, "I see it differently and would not use these names in the same sentence."
The discussion occurred on the first day of Deutsche Welle's annual conference for journalists and media professionals, themed "Sharing Solutions."
Journalist Alla Gavrilova asked Ressa to clarify her comparison. Ressa explained that she referred to impunity in the sense that Netanyahu's policies have led to significant casualties in the Gaza Strip, contributing to the "radicalization of youth in Gaza and the West Bank." She also expressed concerns about protests on American university campuses escalating into antisemitic attacks.
