Analyse
Ressa correctly identifies a core strategy of disinformation campaigns—**flooding information ecosystems to create confusion and erode trust**—a tactic documented by researchers (e.g., *Oxford Internet Institute*, *Stanford Internet Observatory*). However, her phrasing that a lie repeated enough 'becomes a fact' is **not literally true**; repetition increases *perceived* credibility (a phenomenon called the **'illusion of truth effect'**), but it does not alter objective truth. Studies show repeated falsehoods can influence belief (e.g., *Penneycook et al., 2018*), but they remain falsehoods unless institutional or evidentiary validation occurs.
Achtergrond
Ressa, a Nobel Prize-winning journalist and co-founder of *Rappler*, has extensively covered disinformation in the Philippines, where state-aligned troll farms and social media manipulation have been widely reported. Her statement reflects **real-world tactics** used in hybrid warfare and political propaganda, such as those analyzed in *Cambridge Analytica* scandals or Russian interference campaigns. However, the claim risks conflating *perception* with *reality*—a distinction critical in media literacy.
Samenvatting verdict
Maria Ressa’s *description of disinformation tactics* is accurate, but her claim that 'a lie told a million times becomes a fact' oversimplifies how misinformation spreads and is perceived.