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Maria Ressa
58 | Cofounder-CEO, Rappler | Philippines
In 2021, Ressa became the 18th-ever female Nobel Peace Prize laureate for her work defending press freedom. A veteran journalist, Ressa worked as a bureau chief and investigative reporter for CNN for two decades before founding Rappler, an independent multimedia news organization in the Philippines, in 2012. Her sharp coverage of Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war has been met with consistent threats from the Philippine government, which has filed 10 arrest warrants for cyber libel and other complaints against her. She faces jail time of up to 100 years, but she is insistent in her urge that all journalists use truth to hold power accountable. “The more I was attacked for my journalism, the more resolute I became,” Ressa said in her Nobel acceptance speech. “What was meant to intimidate me and Rappler only strengthened us.” –Maggie McGrath
