Maria Ressa’s How to Stand up to a Dictator
Who is Maria Ressa?
Maria Ressa is a Filipina-American journalist who has worked in Asia for nearly four decades. She uses her platform and work as a way to promote positive change throughout the Philippines and the world. Throughout her inspiring career, she has been at the forefront of both investigative journalism and media innovation.
In 2012, she co-founded Rappler, the top-leading digital news site in the Philippines, which is leading the fight for press freedom. Through Rappler, she became known for exposing the corruption and human rights violations of the Filipino political leaders. She and Rappler have also reported on how social media is used to spread false information and manipulate political interaction.
Before Rappler, she was an investigative reporter for CNN, reporting on terrorism in Southeast Asia. She opened and ran their Manila bureau and then she was in charge of their Jakarta bureau from 1995-2005. Her incredible work peacefully promotes democracy and the freedom of speech. It has earned her numerous accolades including the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize in 2021, which she won for her “efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace.” She has also written multiple successful books promoting her ideas including, How to Stand Up to a Dictator.
How to Stand Up to a Dictator
How to Stand Up to a Dictator, published in 2022, is a memoir and manifesto that navigates her journey as a New Jersey high school student to an investigative journalist for CNN, to a Nobel Peace Prize awardee. Maria Ressa is brave, brilliant, and a beautiful writer, which this novel captures perfectly.
Each section contains a valuable idea or lesson and a detailed saga from her life to back it up. In particular, one chapter is about journalism and its mission. This chapter preaches the idea that quality journalism has to contain honesty, evidence, and undeniable facts. How to Stand up to a Dictator is a fantastic novel urging us to value truth and facts in the midst of our digital age. Maria Ressa has worked so hard to change the world and this novel teaches us that we too can change it.
Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Maria-Ressa
How to Stand Up to a Dictator: The Fight for Our Future, a memoir by Maria Ressa