Maria Ressa

Maria Angelita Ressa, born on October 2, 1963, is a Filipino and American journalist. She is the co-founder and CEO of Rappler, a news website in the Philippines. Prior to Rappler, Ressa worked as a lead investigative reporter for nearly two decades at CNN in Southeast Asia. Ressa has received recognition for her work, including being included in Time's Person of the Year 2018 issue for her efforts in combating fake news. In February 2019, she was arrested by Philippine authorities on cyberlibel charges related to a news story published on Rappler. Ressa is set to become a Professor of Professional Practice at Columbia University and a Distinguished Fellow at Columbia's Institute of Global Politics in the coming years.