#HoldTheLine

Defend Maria Ressa and independent media in the Philippines

Internationally celebrated Filipino-American journalist, and 2021 Nobel Peace Prize awardee, Maria Ressa is facing extreme threats in the Philippines as state-orchestrated attacks escalate against her and Rappler, the news organization she founded. This follows her conviction on a criminal cyber libel charge and the shuttering of the country’s largest broadcaster, ABS-CBN, as part of the Duterte government’s wider campaign to stifle independent media. Throughout the Philippines, critical journalists are being sent a chilling message: you are only safe in silence. Ressa knows this better than anyone. Join us and help her #HoldTheLine.   

Read the latest developments in Maria Ressa and Rapplers’ legal cases here.

Maria Ressa, executive editor of news website Rappler, speaks to the media after posting bail in a cyber-libel case at a court in Manila City, Philippines, on February 14, 2019. Philippine authorities issued arrest warrants for Ressa and several other Rappler executives on March 28 in a separate case. (Reuters/Eloisa Lopez)
Maria Ressa, executive editor of news website Rappler, speaks to the media after posting bail in a cyber-libel case at a court in Manila City, Philippines, on February 14, 2019. Philippine authorities issued arrest warrants for Ressa and several other Rappler executives on March 28 in a separate case. (Reuters/Eloisa Lopez)

Learn more about Maria Ressa, Rappler, and the threats faced by independent media in the Philippines [CPJ, ICFJ, RSF]

A coalition led by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ), and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) stands with Maria Ressa to #HoldTheLine and defend independent journalism in the Philippines.

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#HoldTheLine Coalition Members

  • African Media Initiative
  • Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom
  • amaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism
  • Amnesty International
  • ARTICLE 19
  • Association for Independent Broadcasting (AIB)
  • Association of Caribbean Media Workers
  • Campaign for Human Rights in the Philippines UK
  • Centre for Freedom of the Media (CFOM)
  • Centre for Law and Democracy
  • Chicas Poderosas
  • CineDiaz
  • CIVICUS
  • CodaStory
  • College Editors Guild of the Philippines
  • Committee to Protect Journalists
  • Community Media Forum Europe (CMFE)
  • Danlambao Vietnam
  • Dart Asia Pacific
  • Dart Center
  • Digital Context Next
  • Doc Society
  • English PEN
  • Ethical Journalism Network
  • European Journalism Centre
  • First Look Media
  • Forbidden Stories
  • Free Press Unlimited
  • Freedom Talk
  • Global Alliance on Media and Gender (GAMAG)
  • Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD)
  • Global Voices
  • Graduate School of Journalism, Columbia University
  • IFEX
  • IFJ Asia Pacific
  • Index on Censorship
  • Institute for Regional Media and Information (IRMI)
  • International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT)
  • International Center for Journalists
  • International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ)
  • International Media Support (IMS)
  • International News Safety Institute (INSI)
  • International Press Institute (IPI)
  • International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF)
  • James W. Foley Legacy Foundation
  • Judith Neilson Institute 
  • Justice for Journalists Foundation
  • Luminate
  • Media Association for Peace (MAP)
  • Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF)
  • Media, War and Conflict research group, Oslo Metropolitan University
  • Namibia Media Trust (NMT)
  • National Press Club/National Press Club Journalism Institute
  • National Press Foundation
  • National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP)
  • Netzwerk Recherche
  • One World Media
  • Open Democracy Project
  • Pacific Media Centre
  • Pakistan Press Foundation
  • Panos Institute Southern Africa
  • PEN America
  • PEN International
  • Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ)
  • Press Freedom Defense Fund
  • Project Syndicate
  • Public Media Alliance
  • Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting
  • Rappler
  • Reporters Without Borders
  • Rory Peck Trust
  • Rural Media Network Pakistan
  • Society of Editors
  • Somali Media Women Association
  • South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF)
  • Storyhunter
  • Tanzania Media Practitioners Association
  • The Association for Progressive Communications
  • The Canadian Journalism Forum on Violence and Trauma
  • The Coalition for Women in Journalism
  • The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation
  • The Signals Network
  • UN Watch
  • Union of Journalists in Finland 
  • WAN-IFRA
  • World Editors Forum

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