Club Lunch: A Press Freedom Fighter in the Philippines – A Conversation with Maria Ressa

Maria Ressa’s name has become synonymous with the global fight for press freedom and the battle against disinformation and attempts to discredit the media. She co-founded online publication Rappler in 2012 and as CEO and executive editor has turned it into one of the region’s most influential media outlets, even as the Philippines government has arrested her and made efforts in the courts to silence her and the publication. An award-winning journalist, she will discuss the growing threats to a free press in the Philippines and Asia and yet how dedicated journalists are banding together to fight back.

Maria Ressa has been a journalist in Asia for more than 30 years including as CNN’s bureau chief in Manila and Jakarta and CNN’s lead investigative reporter focusing on terrorism in Southeast Asia. She has authored two books – Seeds of Terror: An Eyewitness Account of al-Qaeda’s Newest Center of Operations in Southeast Asia and From Bin Laden to Facebook. The CEO and executive editor of Rappler, Maria co-founded the company in 2012. She has been honored around the world and has won the prestigious Golden Pen of Freedom Award from the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-INFRA), the Knight International Journalism Award of the International Center for Journalists, the Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award of the Committee to Protect Journalists and the Journalist of Courage and Impact Award of East-West Center. In December 2018, Maria was named a Time Person of the Year, and most recently was chosen as among Time 100 most influential people of 2019.