Last week, the Philippine government arrested prominent journalist Maria Ressa ’86, who has in recent years repeatedly investigated President Duterte’s oppressive regime. For her courageous work as a journalist, she now faces persecution under a thinly veiled charge of “cyber-libel.”
Ressa has endured state-sanctioned intimidation before. As founder of the prominent online news platform Rappler, she has uncovered corruption, drug trafficking, and other illicit activity within the Philippine government. In recognition of her relentless courage, Time Magazine named Ressa one its “Persons of the Year” of 2018, describing her as one of “The Guardians” in “The War on Truth.”
As Ressa’s own government violates her human right to free speech, we believe that journalists everywhere must express their solidarity. We hope that our fellow Princetonians will join us and stand with Ressa in her fearless battle against authoritarian oppression and in preserving the voice of journalism. To add your name as a signatory to this editorial, please click here.
We affirm the sentiments of the more than 100 alumni, professors, and administrators who have signed “In the Service of Free Speech,” an open letter also published in today’s paper. Their statement calls on the Philippines to end its wrongful persecution of Ressa.
Furthermore, we recognize how fortunate we are to be journalists at Princeton. Whether we write for the ‘Prince’ or another campus publication, we can report without fear of reprisal. Today, that right is in question for thousands of journalists, both in the Philippines and beyond.
These signatures testify to our unwavering belief in the right to free expression, and we stand in support with Ressa.
The Daily Princetonian Editorial Board
Board Chairs
Chris Murphy ’20
Cy Watsky ’21
Board Members
Samuel Aftel ’20
Arman Badrei ’22
Ariel Chen ’20
Rachel Kennedy ’21
Ethan Li ’22
Jonathan Ort ’21
Signatories
Jim Ayala ‘84
Kaveh Badrei ’20
Carmelita C. Ballesteros
Cess Barasi-Benito ’96
Margaret Barnett
Elisabeth Bassin ‘86
Marie Blue ’86
Steve Bohrer ’88
Terrence Clores
Mary Virginia Coffman ‘86
Christine Cook ’86
Stephen Culhane ‘86
Anand Dharan ’07
Jennifer Friedman ’86
Dror Futter ‘86
Stephen Herschler ‘86
Jennifer Hoffman ‘86
Olivia Hurlock ’86
Mary S. Johnson ’86
Susan Kirr ’86
Ann Klein ’86
Shelley Klein ’86
James Leland ‘86
Chian Liang ‘86
Nancy Lu ’21
Ananya Agustin Malhotra ’20
Vince McAneney ’86
Erik H. Neil ’86
Jennifer Newman ‘86
Edward C. Norton ’86
Sophia Paredes ’20
Myra G. Patrocenio
Margaret Reidy Pflueger ’86
Grace Z. Phillips ’86
David Powelstock ’86
Lorenzo Quiogue ’17
Elisabeth S. Rodgers ’86
John Paul L. Santos
Peter Seiden ’86
Sara Singer ‘86
Anne Tergesen ’86
Danni Titus ’86
Leslie Tucker ’86
Tracy Winfree ’86
Lisa Wyche ‘86
Margaret Zverinova ’86
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