Who Is Maria Ressa? All We Know About This First Filipino Nobel Laureate

Who Is Maria Ressa? The well-known Filipino-American journalist and author has recently been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize alongside Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov.

Maria Angelita Ressa became the first person from the Philippines to win a Nobel. Ressa and Muratov were awarded the Nobel peace prize “for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace.”

Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo, Norway announced this year's winners today. Rappler a Philippine online news website she cofounded tweeted the news:

BREAKING. Rappler CEO Maria Ressa is among the winners of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize. Ressa is the first woman in this year's roster of laureates. #NobelPrize pic.twitter.com/Mek2PgKgxS

— Rappler (@rapplerdotcom) October 8, 2021

Here is what we know about Maria Ressa:

• Maria Ressa was born in Manila in 1963. Her mother was just 18 years old at the time of her birth. Her father passed away when she was one, post which her mother both moved to the United States of America. At 10, Maria moved to America and started staying with her mother.
• Ressa was adopted by her stepfather an Italian-American and took his last name.
• She studied molecular biology and theatre at Princeton University.  She got a Fulbright Fellowship to study political theatre at the University of the Philippines Diliman.
• Ressa first started as a journalist at PTV 4, then co-founded an independent production company Probe and simultaneously worked at CNN's bureau chief in Manila.
• She specialised in investigating terrorist networks and was CNN's lead investigative reporter in Asia.
• She also wrote for The Wall Street Journal and one of her pieces criticising the 15th President of Philippines Noynoy Aquino handling of the bus hostage crisis was much talked about.
• She is the author of two books talking about the rise of terrorism in Southeast Asia and also taught politics and the press in Southeast Asia at Princeton University.
• Ressa co-founded Rappler, the online news platform, in 2012 with three other women co-founders. It started as a Facebook page named MovePH. Rappler has received several local and international awards.
• In February 2019 the Philippine Government issued the arrest warrant for "cyber libel" against Ressa for an article published on Rappler. Her arrest was live-streamed by many in the Rappler team on social media site Facebook. Her arrest was considered politically motivated.  She gained bailed by posting an amount of $1,900.
• The trail began in July 2019 and in June 2020 she was pronounced guilty. She was given six months and six years in prison and a fine of  $8,000.
• She was named on BBC's list of 100 women in 2019. In the same year, she was also named as Time's 100 Most Influential People in the World.
• She was nominated for the Nobel peace prize by  former Norwegian foreign minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
• The award announcement reads, "As a journalist and the Rappler’s CEO, Ressa has shown herself to be a fearless defender of freedom of expression. Rappler has focused critical attention on the Duterte regime’s controversial, murderous anti-drug campaign. "