Maria Ressa, also known as Maria Angelita Ressa, was born in Manila, Philippines on October 2, 1963.
Maria Ressa graduated from Princeton University and also earned her master's degree at the University of the Philippines Diliman.
When she was nine years old, Maria and her family moved to the United States and settled there.
Who’s Maria Ressa?
Women Fighting for Freedom of the Press
Since 1995, Maria Ressa has been a local journalist for CNN, covering terrorism developments in Southeast Asia.
During her career at CNN, Ressa covered a number of key political moments across Southeast Asia, including:
- Six coup attempts against Philippine President Corazon Aquino (1985-1987)
- The fall of President Suharto in Indonesia (1998)
- Violence during the East Timor independence referendum (1999)
- The impeachment trial of Philippine President Joseph Estrada (2000)
In 2012, Ressa founded an online news site called ‘Rappler’ and served as its CEO and executive editor.
The site grew rapidly and became one of the leading news platforms in investigative journalism in the Philippines.
This led to her being recognized as a fearless defender of freedom of expression, where she successfully exposed the many abuses of power, violence, and increasing authoritarianism under President Rodrigo Duterte's administration by providing a critical focus on the controversial and dangerous anti-drug campaign through her reports on Rappler.
For Ressa, ‘Rappler’ serves as a tool to highlight the use of social media as a weapon, as well as expose corrupt practices and human rights abuses.
On the Rappler website, Ressa has also documented the way social media is used to spread false information, attack opponents, and manipulate narratives.
Her Struggle Immortalized in Documentary Film
As CEO of Rappler (a leading digital news platform), Maria Ressa is at the forefront of the fight for press freedom in the Philippines.
Ressa has faced various forms of political harassment and incessant detention from the Duterte government and has been forced to pay fines multiple times in order to remain free.
In 2017, Rappler's operating license was revoked with allegations against Ressa of tax evasion and foreign ownership violations.
Then, in 2020, Ressa was found guilty of cyber defamation, resulting in a six-year prison sentence.
Although the appeal process was delayed, in 2023 Ressa won the legal battle and was eventually acquitted of the tax evasion charges.
One of her famous quotes upon her acquittal was, "Today, facts prevail, truth prevails, justice prevails."
Her struggle to defend Rappler and the conflict she faced with government authorities is recognized as one of the drivers of democratic truth in press freedom, inspiring a documentary at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, titled ‘A Thousand Cuts.’
Read Also: Voices of Change: 5 Inspiring Women Figures from Southeast Asia
Nobel Peace Prize 2021
For her courage and integrity in journalism, in October 2021, Ressa became one of two journalists to be awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for “Her efforts to protect freedom of expression, which is a prerequisite for democracy and lasting peace.”
Maria Ressa's Other Works
Besides working in journalism, Ressa also created various works such as:
- Seed of Terror: An Eyewitness Account of Al-Qeda's Newest Center of Operations in Southeast Asia. This work reviews how the process of investigating the development of terrorist groups in Southeast Asia, especially Jemaah Islamiyah, is related to Al-Qeda after the September 11 attacks in the United States in 2001.
- From Bin Laden to Facebook: 10 Days of Abduction, 10 Years of Terrorism (2013). Maria Ressa's work highlights her research into how terrorist networks use social media to radicalize and mobilize their followers.
- Maria Ressa also wrote a book that was released in November 2022 titled “How to Stand Up to a Dictator”. The book has been translated into 20 languages and has continued to see increased publication in the following years. The work is a combination memoir and manifesto that argues that social media companies have contributed to the gradual decline of democracy.
Read Also: Marsya (Voice of Baceprot) Named in BBC's 100 Women 2024
Elected to the United Nations
In 2022, Ressa was appointed by the UN Secretary-General to the Leadership Panel of the Internet Governance Forum and appointed as its vice chair.
Ressa is keenly focused on the critical issues related to the breakdown of the global information ecosystem to Southeast Asia, and how the actions of the interconnected community can maintain the frontline to protect democratic values.
Maria Ressa isn’t just a journalist, she’s a symbol of truth and courage in Southeast Asia.
Let’s keep telling stories that matter, Seasians!
Reference:
PBS Distribution. (2020, 14 Juli). A Thousand Cuts (2020) Official Trailer. https://youtu.be/Gy_gWR0dEpY?si=73uCIm7CwT1UHDBi
