Journalism is under assault in the Philippines. Maria Ressa is an award-winning reporter and the founder, CEO, and editor-in-chief of Rappler.com, an independent voice of news in that country.
A couple of months ago, she was named one of Time Magazine’s Persons of the Year for her courage in continuing to publish independent journalism in the face of what can only be called government harassment. Two weeks ago, she was arrested on charges of “cyber-libel” — based on a story that came out seven years ago — before that law was even on the books.
Hawai?i Public Radio's Bill Dorman spoke with Ressa about the extent of government interference into the news coverage she and her team are doing. She also gave a sharp critique of Facebook and the role of social media in turning lies to facts.
