Maria Ressa Quotes

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

We need a free media, not just freedom of speech.

A free and truly independent press - fiercely independent when necessary - is the red beating heart of freedom and democracy.

Democracies succeed or fail based on their journalism.

We believe that the remedy to any harm resulting from press freedom lies in press freedom itself.

You can't have a free democracy if you don't have a free media that can provide vital and independent information to the people.

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.

Freedom of the press underpins free societies around the world.

The only security of all is in a free press. The force of public opinion cannot be resisted when permitted freely to be expressed. The agitation it produces must be submitted to. It is necessary, to keep he waters pure.

A free, analytical and questioning press must be helped survive.

I tell you, in my opinion, the cornerstone of democracy is free press - that's the cornerstone.

We have to protect all journalists, and journalists have to be allowed to do their jobs.

A free press needs to be a respected press.

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

Vigorous independent and critical media are indispensable in a democracy.

Democratic societies need a strong media, and WikiLeaks is part of that media.

Press freedom is the foundation of the rights of all Filipinos to the truth.

There is no democracy without journalism.

All murder is a tragedy but when journalists are killed, public debate loses a voice that can provide an important contribution to democracy. It is essential that governments do all they can to ensure safe conditions for journalists to carry out their work.

Those of us who believe in human rights and the truth - particularly the journalists and the media - should stand in defense of Julian Assange and Bradley Manning. We owe them a lot for telling us the truth of what is happening in our world, and that is why I would continue to support them.

Journalism is what maintains democracy. It's the force for progressive social change.

What I'm thinking about more and more these days is simply the importance of transparency, and Jefferson's saying that he'd rather have a free press without a government than a government without a free press.

The United States is paradise compared to China, Russia, Ecuador and Cuba, with regard to the press. And with regard to secrecy and transparency.

In emerging democracies like Russia, in authoritarian states like Iran or even Yugoslavia, journalists play a vital role in civil society. In fact, they form the very basis of those new democracies and civil societies.

One of the unsung freedoms that go with a free press is the freedom not to read it.