Announcing Maria Ressa as an Atlantic Contributing Writer
Ressa, the co-founder and CEO of Rappler, will write for The Atlantic about democracy, press freedom, and the social web.
As The Atlantic continues its editorial focus on exposing the crisis facing democracy and the rise of global authoritarianism, today the editors announced that the Nobel Peace Prize recipient Maria Ressa is joining the magazine as a contributing writer. Read more in a note to staff from editor in chief Jeffrey Goldberg, executive editor Adrienne LaFrance, and editorial director Denise Wills.
Dear everyone,
We’re writing with terrifically exciting news: Maria Ressa, one of the world’s bravest and most brilliant journalists, is joining The Atlantic as a contributing writer. Maria, who is the co-recipient of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize, is regarded around the world as a great champion of the free press, and she has fought valiantly in the Philippines for the right to speak her mind. She has suffered greatly in her struggle, enduring arrests and imprisonment, and ceaseless harassment and threats. She is a role model for so many journalists across the globe, including us.
As many of you know, Maria is the co-founder and CEO of Rappler, one of just a handful of news organizations in the Philippines that has openly criticized President Rodrigo Duterte and his policies. She has also had an outstanding career in journalism across Asia, opening and leading CNN’s bureaus in Manila and Jakarta.
In the Philippines, Maria has stood up against repeated attacks by the government. She has been arrested 10 times over a period of just two years. But as she explained in her keynote address upon receiving the Nobel Prize, the attacks have only made her more resolute in her pursuit of truthful, fearless journalism: “Please ask yourself the same question my team and I had to confront 5 years ago: what are you willing to sacrifice for the Truth?”
In announcing Maria as a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, the Nobel Committee stated, “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. The number of deaths is so high that the campaign resembles a war waged against the country’s own population. Ms. Ressa and Rappler have also documented how social media is being used to spread fake news, harass opponents and manipulate public discourse.”
Maria will write for us about democracy, press freedom, and the social web. We are exceedingly grateful for all that Maria has done for the cause of independent journalism, and we’re honored to be able to provide a home for some of her best writing.
In the meantime, we want to thank you, our colleagues, for building an Atlantic that has become the desired home of some of the world’s most notable and exemplary journalists.
Jeff, Adrienne, and Denise