Maria Ressa Quotes

The best definition of journalism I have heard; to challenge authority - all authority - especially so when governments and politicians take us to war, when they have decided that they will kill and others will die.

A key purpose of journalism is to provide an adversarial check on those who wield the greatest power by shining a light on what they do in the dark, and informing the public about those acts.

When journalists forget that our job is to question and annoy those in power, there can be huge consequences.

The fourth estate which if not well looked to, will turn us all out of doors.

It is the business of the journalist … to stand in permanent Opposition.

We need journalists to be fearless and hold power to account.

The most important responsibility we have as journalists is to question those who are in power. I honestly believe that.

It is the role of good journalism to take on powerful abusers, and when powerful abusers are taken on, there's always a bad reaction. So we see that controversy, and we believe that is a good thing to engage in.

We are a better country because the press gets 1000 facts right every day.

The press is supposed to watch the powerful. And not throw in with them.

The point of journalism is to hold people in positions of power accountable.

The job of the press is to defend their institution, hold the government accountable and freely report and gather information.

Press freedom does not mean that the press should be above the law. While it's vital that a free press can tell truth to power, it is equally important that those in power can tell truth to the press.

We don't go into journalism to be popular. It is our job to seek the truth and put constant pressure on our leaders until we get answers.

I respect very much the role of the media in our society; I think they can be very, very helpful. They serve as a very useful check, sort of a watchdog over the actions of the government, and I respect that.

I respect the press. The press and the media are a very useful watchdog to check the power of the government.

The newspapers of your country seem to be more powerful than the government.

What is the liberty of the press? Who can give it any definition that would not leave the utmost latitude for evasion …. Its [the press's] security … must altogether depend on public opinion.

Junk journalism is the evidence of a society that has got at least one thing right, that there should be nobody with the power to dictate where responsible journalism begins

The press is supposed to serve as a check on government.

We need a free press. We must have it. It's vital.

Press freedom has great virtues. It is not about irresponsible scandal-mongering, although that may be part of the picture. It is a means of revealing wrongdoing.

Press freedom is not just about journalists, right? It's not just about us, it's not just about me, it's not just about Rappler. Press freedom is... the foundation of every single right of every single Filipino to the truth, so that we can hold the powerful to account.

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

A TV show can't hold people and institutions to account like good journalism can.