allying It was Friday, October 8, when the world remembered how powerful a journalist can be. From being recognized as a journalist, an author, and the co-founder of the news site Rappler, to becoming the first Filipino Nobel Prize laureate, Miss Maria Ressa proved that speaking truth to power is a battle worth fighting. Having been in the field of journalism for over 35 years, the veteran’s passion for reporting the truth for the people is
Freedom for
2005, where she was the senior investigative reporter, dealing with terrorist networks and groups. Later on, she wrote for the International Center for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR) of S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. In 2004, she started working at ABSCBN’s News and Foreign Affairs Department and was the head of her department until 2005. She also wrote two books, “Seeds of Terror: An Eyewitness Account of Al-Qaeda’s Newest Center” and “From Bin Laden to Facebook: 10 Days of Abduction, 10 Years of Terrorism,” both centering around terrorism in Southeast Asia.
unquestionable. Her works have paved the way for the advancement and protection of Filipino journalists and journalism as a whole.
Cutting-edge Courage Ressa founded Rappler in 2010 along with Lilibeth Frondoso, the current head for Multimedia Strategy and Growth at Rappler. A year later, Ms. Ressa and her associates created a Facebook page called “Move.PH” to introduce a company that would transcend the limitations of journalism. In 2012, Rappler formally made its debut as a website, with the name Rappler being a play on the words “rap” and “ripple”. The website’s intentions were to make journalism more independent and interactive with citizens and to serve the people with the truth. Rappler’s journalists cover all fields from sports to politics without filter. Its mission, first and foremost, is to shed light on matters for the public in a critical and informative way, despite the backlash that they may face.
A Journo’s Journey In 1986, Ressa graduated from Princeton University, New Jersey cum laude with an English degree. She then received a Fulbright scholarship, which led her to return to the Philippines. Here, she studied at the University of the Philippines Diliman and earned her Master’s degree in journalism. She began her career in 1987 as an anchor and reporter at the news department of the government station “People’s Television Network”. She co-founded the documentary program “Probe”, and served as the bureau chief of Cable News Network (CNN) Manila until 1995. She worked for CNN Jakarta until
Rivaled by Libel On May 29, 2012, Rappler’s Reynaldo Santos, Jr. published an article entitled “CJ Using SUVs of ‘controversial businessmen”. It stated that the Filipino-Chinese businessman, Wilfredo D. Keng, was lending SUVs to then Chief Justice Renato Corona, and that Keng was involved in drug smuggling and human trafficking. After repeated attempts of indicting Rappler for alleged libel, Keng’s complaints held water before Judge Rainelda EstacioMontesa, who ruled that fixing a typo two years after the original article was published qualified it for a case under the provisions of
Mharq GHierzey Abe the Cybercrime Law. Despite this reasoning being called into question by critics, Ressa was convicted with bail. Ressa claimed that she was purposely arrested in the evening so that she could not bail herself out in a timely manner and that her arrest was politically motivated. And despite Keng having acted as a private citizen throughout the events, his ties with President Rodrigo Duterte are in no way secret. Holding the Line A widely known fact about Ms. Ressa is that she actively criticizes Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. Duterte constantly speaks vulgarities about news outlets and silences them. This, in turn, caused Ms. Ressa to speak about it, receiving both support and backlash from the nation. Despite facing several charges and tons of criticism, she continues to push forward. Her determination shows that no matter what happens, she and Rappler’s team of journalists will continue to serve the truth. Sentinel of Democracy Even after all the battles that Ressa has fought, she continues to fight. On the abuse of power, the wrongdoings of the influential, the events that move the hearts of the people, she speaks out, no matter the consequences, and puts the wellbeing of the Filipino citizens before everything else. She is, as the Nobel Peace Prize Committee states, “a fearless defender of freedom of expression.” If not for her courage to speak out, the eyes of most people would be shut tight, blissfully unaware of just how silent of a voice journalists are confined to. Ressa continues, with many of her peers and fellow journalists, to rally for freedom-- of expression, of the press, and of the nation.
15
