Maria Ressa
Encyclopedia
Maria A. Ressa is a Filipino
journalist, and author of Seeds of Terror, a book published by Free Press
that contains blow-by-blow account of the hideouts of Al-Qaeda
in Asia
.
She served as the head of ABS-CBN
News and Current Affairs Department from 2004-2010. Before joining ABS-CBN, Ms. Ressa worked for Cable News Network (CNN) for nearly two decades, serving as Manila
Bureau Chief from 1988–1995 and as Jakarta
Bureau Chief from 1995-2005. She traveled extensively and reported from her base in Southeast Asia
as well as India
, Pakistan
, China
, South Korea
, Japan
, Australia
and the United States
. As CNN’s lead investigative reporter in Asia, she specialized in investigating terrorist networks. Videotapes of her coverage of terrorism were found in what experts believe to be Osama bin Laden
’s private videotape collection in Afghanistan
.
Ms. Ressa graduated from Princeton University
. She was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to the Philippines in 1986, where she attended graduate school at the University of the Philippines
. Among the awards she has received are the Overseas Press Club Award for Best Documentary, the National Headliner Award for Investigative Journalism, an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Investigative Journalism, the Asian Television Awards
, TOWNS – Ten Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service and TOYM. Ms Ressa taught broadcasting principles at the University of the Philippines, and at Princeton University, she designed and taught a course on Politics and the Press in Southeast Asia.
In an open letter dated October 11, 2010, Ressa noted that she will not renew her six-year contract with the said network, saying that "It’s time for me (her) to move on." She is now an author-in-residence at The International Center for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR) of Nanyang Technological University
's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies
in Singapore
. Ressa and ICPVTR aims to come up with a book "on the terrorism threats in Asia, their connections to the global jihad and how governments are responding to these evolving threats." The book's release is expected to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks
in the United States.
In late 2010, Esquire magazine hailed Ressa as the Philippines' sexiest woman alive, citing her fearlessness in writing an eyewitness account of Al Qaeda "despite her size." She has her own website and has contributed write-ups for CNN.com and Wall Street Journal.
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
journalist, and author of Seeds of Terror, a book published by Free Press
Free Press (publisher)
Free Press is a book publishing imprint of Simon and Schuster. It was founded by Jeremiah Kaplan and Charles Liebman in 1947 and was devoted to sociology and religion titles. It was headquartered in Glencoe, Illinois, where it was known as The Free Press of Glencoe...
that contains blow-by-blow account of the hideouts of Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
.
She served as the head of ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN
ABS–CBN Corporation is a Philippine-based media conglomerate. It is the Philippines' largest media and entertainment conglomerate. The corporation was the merger of Alto Broadcasting System which at that time owned by James Lindenberg and Antonio Quirino, and the Chronicle Broadcasting Network ...
News and Current Affairs Department from 2004-2010. Before joining ABS-CBN, Ms. Ressa worked for Cable News Network (CNN) for nearly two decades, serving as Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
Bureau Chief from 1988–1995 and as Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
Bureau Chief from 1995-2005. She traveled extensively and reported from her base in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
as well as India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. As CNN’s lead investigative reporter in Asia, she specialized in investigating terrorist networks. Videotapes of her coverage of terrorism were found in what experts believe to be Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
’s private videotape collection in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
.
Ms. Ressa graduated from Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
. She was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to the Philippines in 1986, where she attended graduate school at the University of the Philippines
University of the Philippines
The ' is the national university of the Philippines. Founded in 1908 through Act No...
. Among the awards she has received are the Overseas Press Club Award for Best Documentary, the National Headliner Award for Investigative Journalism, an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Investigative Journalism, the Asian Television Awards
Asian Television Awards
The Asian Television Awards is an appreciation to recognize and reward programming and production excellence in the Asian television industry. Held every December, the Awards draws about 1,400 entries each year from a wide range of broadcasters, including free-to-air TV stations and pay-TV...
, TOWNS – Ten Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service and TOYM. Ms Ressa taught broadcasting principles at the University of the Philippines, and at Princeton University, she designed and taught a course on Politics and the Press in Southeast Asia.
In an open letter dated October 11, 2010, Ressa noted that she will not renew her six-year contract with the said network, saying that "It’s time for me (her) to move on." She is now an author-in-residence at The International Center for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR) of Nanyang Technological University
Nanyang Technological University
Nanyang Technological University is one of the two largest public universities in Singapore with the biggest campus in Singapore and the world's largest engineering college. Its lush 200-hectare Yunnan Garden campus was the Youth Olympic Village of the world's first 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in...
's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies
S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies
S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University was established on 1 January 2007. The school came about as an expansion of the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies , which was established in 1996.The school is named after the one of modern Singapore's...
in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. Ressa and ICPVTR aims to come up with a book "on the terrorism threats in Asia, their connections to the global jihad and how governments are responding to these evolving threats." The book's release is expected to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
in the United States.
In late 2010, Esquire magazine hailed Ressa as the Philippines' sexiest woman alive, citing her fearlessness in writing an eyewitness account of Al Qaeda "despite her size." She has her own website and has contributed write-ups for CNN.com and Wall Street Journal.