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Rappler CEO Maria Ressa is among 2020’s Bloomberg 50, the international media company’s annual list of individuals who helped define the year that was.

Ressa joins infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci, Oscar-winning film director Bong Joon-Ho, activist-athlete Colin Kaepernick, and musician Billie Eilish, among others.

According to her profile on the Bloomberg site released Monday, December 7, Ressa has “carried on despite what journalism advocates say is a campaign of official intimidation, including a tax evasion case and a claim by regulators that financial support Rappler received violated a ban on foreign ownership of media. Free on bail, she’s fighting all those allegations – and still publishing.”

On top of these other legal battles, Ressa was charged on November 23 with cyber libel over a tweet. The complaint was filed in February 2020 by businessman Wilfredo Keng, whose earlier suit got Ressa and former researcher Reynaldo Santos Jr convicted of cyber libel in June this year. 

Ressa is only the second Filipino to be on the list. Businessman Ramon Ang was included in last year’s line-up. – Rappler.com