Maria Ressa is a Filipino-American journalist, author, and co-founder of the independent news site Rappler, who won the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize, along with Dmitry Muratov, for her efforts to safeguard freedom of expression. She is famed for her fearless reporting on human rights abuses, government corruption, and erosion of press freedom in the Philippines. A former CNN bureau chief, Ressa has spent decades in journalism, championing the role of free speech and a free press in democratic societies.