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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.

Maria Angelita Ressa

Speech at the *Committee to Protect Journalists’ International Press Freedom Awards*, 2019 · Checked on 14 March 2026
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.

Analysis

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.

Background

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.

Verdict summary

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

Sources consulted

— Committee to Protect Journalists – “Maria Ressa’s Acceptance Speech” (video transcript), CPJ.org, Oct 23 2019
— The Guardian – “Maria Ressa: ‘The battle for facts is the battle for our future’”, Oct 23 2019
— Reuters – “Ressa warns of truth crisis at CPJ awards”, Oct 23 2019