“If you want to rip the heart out of a democracy, you go after the fact...” — Maria Ressa Quote

“If you want to rip the heart out of a democracy, you go after the facts. That's what modern authoritarians do. You lie. All the time. Then, you say it's your opponents and the journalists who lie.”

“I run Rappler, an online news site in the Philippines.”

“Investigative journalism is never mass-based; it's very focused, and you want people who are passionate about it to take it.”

“After I got arrested the Filipino government unshackled me. I knew first-hand how they violated my rights and I could speak about that from experience.”

“I'm not a critic, I'm a journalist. I'm doing my job holding the government to account.”

“I don't think we have wrapped our heads around how much technology has allowed the manipulation of individuals and democracies.”

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would become a constant topic for national television and radio shows - never mind mentioned by some of the country's most respected journalists.”

“I wasn't always a Twitter devotee. During the 2012 campaign, the first during which Twitter was widely used by journalists and campaign aides, I became something of a scold to younger reporters who I thought misused the medium.”

“You can't disbar unethical journalists.”

“All in all, I just don't trust journalists - and I don't think it's a good practice for me to trust journalists.”

“Journalists are supposed to put the people first, even before themselves. Around the world and throughout history, journalists have died to get the truth out.”

“A lot of journalists are talented enough to write a mystery novel, and I would say that most of the top-end mystery writers actually started out as reporters. But there is more to it than just the writing; there's a learning process, and most journalists aren't willing to do it.”