2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Russian writer and journalist Dmitry Muratovgave a keynote speech yesterday that marked the official start of the event FIGO Global Summit 2025A meeting point for references from fields such as politics and economics … Or the press that concludes today in the city of Olive.
A show that, despite the difficulties in following his words in Russian, which were automatically translated using artificial intelligence with questionable accuracy, did not leave the spectators in the Mar de Vigo hall and convention center indifferent.
Carrying a briefcase full of photos and documents that he relied on during his presentation, the journalist focused his speech on warning of the growing threat posed by disinformation and propaganda, protected by a technological revolution that is already in practice. It is impossible to distinguish whether the sender of messages is a person or a bot (Also called “bots” to refer to social media accounts that repeat messages en masse to generate a false sense of public opinion.)
In this sense, he called on society as a whole to fight fascism, “whose idea remains alive” despite the eight decades that separate the present day from World War II. A rise that is reflected in the success of populist and totalitarian leaders around the world. “This, my friends, is not the end of the story that Fukuyama – referring to the famous book by the American writer – dreamed of.” Rather, the end of civilization».
In the face of this wave of misinformation and New forms of totalitarianism Those who do not hesitate to use new weapons made available to them by technological progress, Muratov focused on potential “antagonists” that could help identify the manipulation behind political discourses. In addition to searching for the truth in references of recognized standing, the writer and journalist appreciated the emerging personality of the content auditor. “Without verification tools or control of bots, there is nothing that can be done,” he warned.
Censorship and manipulation
To illustrate his ideas, Muratov gave several examples of how censorship, manipulation and persecution of dissidents work in his home country. It is a conflict that also affected him directly, given the impossibility of using terms like war when Putin announced the “military operations” that led to the recent escalation of the still-entrenched war between Russia and Ukraine.
As examples, Muratov showed photographs of journalists and even figures from Russian civil society Before and after demonstrating against Kremlin guidelines. A succession of images showing torture, including well-known Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny, who was imprisoned and poisoned by Vladimir Putin’s regime until his death in 2024 under suspicious circumstances.
In addition, he pointed to other practices carried out by the Kremlin, such as manipulating surveys to reinforce the story that Russian society was in favor of continuing the war in Ukraine – using “robots” posing as flesh-and-blood users – or offering salaries ten times higher to those young people who decided to go to the front.
On the other hand, he urged the participants in the event, MrThink about what dictatorships are And the way it is gradually being installed in liberal democracies. Gestures such as the extension of mandates – in a clear indication of the intention expressed by US President Donald Trump – or his intervention and meddling in the media. Muratov pointed out that the conjunction of events with the ultimate goal usually leads to wars in which human lives become mere statistics that are not even declared.
Although he did not hide his concern about the size of the threats on the table, Muratov insisted on raising them Compliance with the Universal Declaration of Human RightsIn addition to tools that allow us to see beyond the manipulation and misinformation that appears on social media and in other communication channels. The speaker concluded that “there will be no progress without peace and human rights.”
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