“Truth, Power and the Importance of Press Freedom: An Exclusive Conversation with Maria Ressa” was a virtual discussion produced in partnership with FRONTLINE and the International Center for Journalists.

Maria Ressa, chief executive of independent news site Rappler, has been convicted with Cyber Libel charges, and faces up to six years in prison. On the eve of the court's ruling, Maria led a vital conversation on reporting, truth and its impact on democracy.

The conversation explores how journalism is essential to the function of democracy, informing and empowering citizens, yet journalists worldwide have become embattled for covering the news. In the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte has cracked down on news outlets critical of his brutal war on drugs. A top target: Maria Ressa, the subject of an upcoming FRONTLINE documentary, “A Thousand Cuts.” The virtual discussion includes exclusive clips from “A Thousand Cuts.”

Featured speakers:
Maria Ressa, CEO & Executive Editor, Rappler
Ramona Diaz, Film Director, “A Thousand Cuts”
Raney Aronson-Rath, Executive Producer, FRONTLINE
Moderated by Dr. Julie Posetti, Global Director of Research, International Center for Journalists (ICFJ)

For more on Duterte’s drug war, watch "On the President’s Orders," available on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qugduxazBBg

And for more from Ressa, read FRONTLINE’s interview with her for "The Facebook Dilemma," in which she discusses her reporting on how Duterte weaponized the platform to target his critics and spread disinformation.

LINK: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/interview/maria-ressa/

#AThousandCuts #Philippines #ICFJ

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