Maria Ressa
Maria Ressa
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Full Name and Common Aliases
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Maria Angelita Ressa is widely known as Maria Ressa.
Birth and Death Dates
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Born on October 2, 1963.
(Note: There is no mention of her death date in the provided information.)
Nationality and Profession(s)
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Philippines-born, US-raised journalist and media executive. Maria Ressa is a dual citizen of the Philippines and the United States.
Early Life and Background
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Maria Ressa grew up in Manila, the capital city of the Philippines. Her father was an engineer and her mother worked as a lawyer. She spent part of her childhood in Guam and later moved to the United States for high school. Ressa earned a Bachelor's degree in economics from Princeton University and a Master's degree in Asian studies from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Major Accomplishments
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Maria Ressa has had a storied career spanning more than three decades. She began her journalism career as a researcher for ABC News in New York City, covering Asia. In 1987, she became the bureau chief for CNN in Manila. Her groundbreaking work in investigative journalism led to several high-profile stories, including the Philippine military's involvement in the country's communist insurgency and the corruption of former President Ferdinand Marcos.
In 2005, Ressa co-founded Rappler, a digital news organization that aimed to provide fact-based reporting on politics, business, and social issues. Under her leadership, Rappler became one of the most influential and respected media outlets in the Philippines.
Notable Works or Actions
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Maria Ressa's notable works include:
Rappler: She co-founded the digital news organization and served as its CEO.
"Seeds of Change": Ressa wrote this book, which explores the lives of four women who played a pivotal role in shaping modern Southeast Asia.
Impact and Legacy
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Maria Ressa's dedication to investigative journalism has had far-reaching consequences. Her reporting on corruption and human rights abuses helped to shed light on dark corners of Philippine society. In 2018, she was awarded the International Press Freedom Award for her work as a journalist in the Philippines.
Ressa is also known for her leadership in promoting media freedom and her unwavering commitment to fact-based reporting.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
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Maria Ressa's reputation as a fearless and uncompromising journalist has made her a respected figure in the world of media. Her work at Rappler has provided a platform for marginalized voices and held those in power accountable. As a result, she is widely quoted and remembered as an advocate for press freedom and a champion of investigative journalism.
As a testament to her enduring impact, Maria Ressa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021, jointly with two other journalists, Dmitry Muratov from Russia and Philippine journalist Maria Ressa.
Quotes by Maria Ressa
What are the values that give meaning? What is the line that you will never cross, because on this side you're good, and on this side you're evil.
How well we survive this time of creative destruction, it really is, depends on each of us, on each of us fighting our individual battles of integrity, for integrity.
Frankly, it's a bit shocking to me the lengths government will go to to let little Rappler feel its power.
We know firsthand how social media and the law have been weaponized against perceived critics of the Duterte administration. We've been reporting on it from the start.
If I lose these tax-evasion cases and others filed by the Philippine government, I could go to jail for 10 to 15 years.
Then there is my country, the Philippines. President Rodrigo Duterte placed most of the country under a lockdown on the ides of March. Surrounded by men in uniform, he cut public transportation and talked about home quarantine, checkpoints and curfews, but said little about the virus or economic aid for those in need.
To deal with COVID-19, countries like India, Brazil, Jordan and Thailand are cutting press freedom and freedom of expression. In nations like Israel, South Korea and the U.S., intrusive surveillance has been imposed to track the movement of citizens, at the expense of human rights.
Any journalist who asked critical questions, anyone on social media who questioned about the extrajudicial killings was bombarded with abuse, threats of violence death threats from trolls and bots and these fake Facebook accounts.