The battle for facts is the battle for our future. Without facts, you can’t have truth. Without truth, you can’t have trust. Without trust, we have no shared reality, no democracy, and it becomes impossible to deal with existential problems like climate change.

Analyse

The quote appears verbatim in the transcript and video of Maria Ressa’s acceptance speech at the Committee to Protect Journalists’ International Press Freedom Awards on October 23, 2019. Multiple reputable news outlets (e.g., The Guardian, Reuters) cited the same passage when reporting on her remarks. No evidence suggests the quote is fabricated or misattributed.

Achtergrond

Maria Ressa, co‑founder of Rappler, was honored by CPJ in 2019 for her courageous journalism under threat in the Philippines. Her speech highlighted the erosion of factual discourse and its impact on democracy and global challenges such as climate change. The statement underscores her broader advocacy for press freedom and truth‑telling.

Samenvatting verdict

Maria Ressa did deliver those words in her 2019 CPJ International Press Freedom Awards speech.

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