Maria Ressa Facts for Kids

In this Philippine name, the middle name or maternal family name is Delfin and the surname or paternal family name is Aycardo.

Quick facts for kids Maria Ressa
Ressa in 2025
Born	Maria Angelita Delfin Aycardo (1963-10-02) October 2, 1963 (age 61) Manila, Philippines
Nationality	Filipino American
Education	Princeton University (BA) University of the Philippines Diliman
Occupation	Journalist author
Known for	Co-founding Rappler

Maria Angelita Ressa (born October 2, 1963) is a Filipino-American journalist. She is famous for co-founding and leading Rappler, an online news website. Before Rappler, she worked for nearly 20 years as a top investigative reporter for CNN in Southeast Asia.

Maria Ressa is also a professor at Columbia University. She teaches about journalism and global politics. In 2018, Time magazine named her one of their "Person of the Year" journalists. They recognized her for fighting against false information.

In 2021, Maria Ressa received the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize. She shared it with Dmitry Muratov. They won for their important work in protecting freedom of speech. This freedom is key for democracy and lasting peace.

Early Life and Education
A Career in Journalism
Awards and Recognition
- Nobel Peace Prize
See also

Early Life and Education

Maria Ressa was born in Manila, Philippines, in October 1963. When she was 10, she moved to New Jersey, USA. She was adopted by her stepfather and took his last name, Ressa.

Even though she barely spoke English at first, Maria worked hard in school. She became president of her high school class three times. She also performed in school plays. Her high school even named its auditorium after her in 2021.

Maria Ressa then went to Princeton University. She graduated with honors in 1986. She studied English and also learned about theater and dance. Later, she received a special scholarship called a Fulbright Fellowship. This allowed her to study political theater in the Philippines. She also taught journalism courses there.

A Career in Journalism

Maria Ressa started her journalism career in the Philippines. She helped create an independent TV production company called Probe in 1987. At the same time, she worked for CNN. She was CNN's bureau chief in Manila until 1995.

From 1995 to 2005, she led CNN's office in Jakarta, Indonesia. She became known for investigating terrorist groups in Asia. She also wrote books about the rise of terrorism.

Later, Maria Ressa led the news division of ABS-CBN, a major media company in the Philippines. She also wrote for The Wall Street Journal.

Books by Maria Ressa

Maria Ressa has written several important books. These books often explore topics like terrorism and fighting for truth.

Seeds of Terror: An Eyewitness Account of Al-Qaeda's Newest Center (2003)
From Bin Laden to Facebook: 10 Days of Abduction, 10 Years of Terrorism (2013)
How to Stand Up To a Dictator (2022)

Teaching and Leadership

Maria Ressa has shared her knowledge by teaching at universities. She taught courses on politics and media at Princeton University. She also taught broadcast journalism at the University of the Philippines Diliman.

She is also a fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She works on projects about how artificial intelligence (AI) affects democracy. In 2023, she joined the board of directors for The Intercept.

Founding Rappler

Ressa interviews former Philippine President Benigno Aquino III at the Malacañang Palace, June 7, 2016

In 2012, Maria Ressa co-founded Rappler. It is an online news website in the Philippines. She started it with three other women and a small team of journalists. Rappler began as a Facebook page in 2011. It quickly grew into a full news website.

Rappler became one of the first multimedia news sites in the Philippines. It is now a major news source and has won many awards. Maria Ressa serves as its Executive Editor and Chief Executive Officer.

Working for Internet Safety

Maria Ressa is also involved in making the internet a safer place.

In 2020, she joined the "Real Facebook Oversight Board." This group watches how Facebook handles its content.
In 2022, she was chosen for a leadership panel for the United Nations' Internet Governance Forum. This group discusses important internet issues each year.
In 2022, she joined the Council for Responsible Social Media. This group works to address the negative effects of social media on people.

Awards and Recognition

Ressa winning the 2018 Free Speech Award from the Tully Center

Maria Ressa has received many awards for her brave journalism.

She was nominated for an Emmy for investigative journalism.
She won the Asian Television Awards.
In 2015, she received a Lifetime Achievement award from the Philippine Movie Press Club.
In 2017, Rappler, under her leadership, won the Democracy Award. This award recognized their fight against false information.
In 2018, she received the Knight International Journalism Award. She was praised for her courage in reporting on important issues.
Also in 2018, she won the World Association of Newspapers's Golden Pen of Freedom Award.
The Committee to Protect Journalists gave her the Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award in 2018.
In December 2018, Time magazine named her one of their "Person of the Year." She was recognized as one of "The Guardians" of truth.
In April 2019, she was included in Time's list of the "100 Most Influential People in the World."
In May 2019, she won the Columbia Journalism Award. This is the highest honor from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
In October 2019, she was named one of the BBC's 100 Women.
In April 2021, she won the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize.
In 2022, she received an honorary degree from MacEwan University in Canada.
In February 2022, she received Princeton University's highest undergraduate alumni honor, the Woodrow Wilson Award.
In June 2023, she received an honorary degree from the Ateneo de Manila University.
In 2024, Maria Ressa was the commencement speaker at Harvard University.
She also received the Cannes LionHeart award in 2024.

Nobel Peace Prize

Nobel Prize winners Ressa and Muratov

Maria Ressa was nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize. On October 8, 2021, it was announced that she would share the prize with Dmitry Muratov from Russia. They received the award "for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace." They were the first journalists since 1935 to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Maria Ressa facts for kids

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