Maria Ressa (Rappler.com): Attitude & Digitization as relevant impacts for press freedom

Maria Ressa is since many years a symbol for freedom of press and freedom of speech in the Philippines and beyond - and a Time of person of the year 2018. In 2012 she founded the online magazine Rappler, one of the few independent press outlets in her home country. This year in June, she has been convicted of cyber-libel in a case, that has raised concerns on an international level, as the cyber libel law that was the legal ground of her conviction didn’t even exist when the alleged article was published / alleged offense took place. Instead, the story was published in 2012 four months before the law it allegedly violated was enacted. But as the magazine corrected a typo in 2014, this was used by the court as a reason why it fell under the cyber libel law. In august the documentary “A thousand cuts” about her life and her fight for press freedom came out.