Maria Ressa Prevented from Attending Massey College Gala

TORONTO, April 23, 2022 /CNW/ - Massey College is pleased to announce that Nobel Laureate Maria Ressa will join the 60^th anniversary celebrations of the William Southam Journalism Fellowships remotely via zoom on Saturday, April 23^rd at the Toronto Reference Library.

Ms. Ressa will deliver a keynote address and be joined in conversation with journalist Sally Armstrong. A journalist for more than 36 years, Ms. Ressa had planned on attending the gala celebrations in person in Toronto, but the Philippine government effectively denied her travel, giving her court approvals for only 6 of 7 charges. Press freedom advocates have long called on the Philippines to drop these politically motivated charges.

In less than two years, the Philippines filed 10 arrest warrants against her because of Rappler's courageous reporting, scrutiny of government policies and unflinching coverage of the deadly war on drugs of President Rodriguo Duterte. As the May 9 national elections in the Philippines approaches, the State and its allies escalated legal harassment of Ms. Ressa and Rappler, filing at least 50 new cyber libel complaints in the last few months.

Massey College is proud to support the work of Canadian and international journalists, pillars of democracy who fight tirelessly to uphold freedom of the press and the right of citizens to accurate information. We are looking forward to hearing Maria Ressa on Saturday night and to welcome her to Massey College when she is able to visit us", says Nathalie Des Rosiers, Principal of Massey College.  "We admire her work, and we want to continue to support her as a role model for great journalism". 

"We need information ecosystems that live and die by facts. We do this by shifting social priorities to rebuild journalism for the 21st century while regulating and outlawing the surveillance economics that profit from hate and lies," Ms Ressa said in her Nobel Peace Prize lecture.

SOURCE Massey College

Emily Mockler, [email protected], Office: 416-978-6606, Mobile: [phone]