Maria Ressa

A figure of extraordinary courage, Maria Ressa remains the only Filipino to have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, which she shared with Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov in 2021 for their work defending freedom of expression. The journalist, author and co-founder of Rappler has also received numerous international honours, including the 2021 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize and the 2022 Albie Award for championing justice. Named one of Time magazine’s Persons of the Year in 2018, Ressa has become one of the world’s most prominent voices on press freedom, disinformation and technology’s impact on democracy.

Despite the international recognition, Ressa’s work through Rappler has continued to attract controversy and legal challenges in the Philippines. Following her 2023 acquittal on tax fraud charges, Ressa and her Rappler colleagues were further acquitted of violating the Anti-Dummy Law in June 2025. Her work was also documented in the 2020 documentary A Thousand Cuts, which examined the pressures faced by the news organisation and its journalists.

In recent years, Ressa has increasingly focused on the impact of artificial intelligence on information, democracy and human agency. In 2025, she launched a Global Call for AI Red Lines at the United Nations General Assembly, advocating for international boundaries around unacceptable AI risks. She has also continued developing initiatives through Rappler, including Rappler Communities, which aims to create more secure and constructive digital spaces.

In 2026, Ressa expanded this work on the international stage as co-chair of the United Nations’ International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence. Her advocacy increasingly centres on the need for stronger accountability and regulation as AI systems become more capable of influencing attention, emotion and decision-making.

Through her journalism, writing and advocacy, Ressa continues to examine how societies can protect reliable information, human agency and democratic participation as technology transforms public communication.