Undergraduate students entering the University this fall as the Class of 2027 will explore the tenuous threads that keep democracy woven together as they consider Maria Ressa’s latest book, “How to Stand Up to a Dictator: The Fight for Our Future,” this year’s Princeton Pre-read selection.
Ressa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021 for her efforts to safeguard freedom of expression in the Philippines. Her book recounts Ressa’s journey from CNN reporter to CEO and executive editor of the Philippines-based online news organization Rappler.com, and her groundbreaking coverage of the Philippine government that has made her an enemy of authoritarian President Rodrigo Duterte.
Ressa graduated from Princeton in 1986 with a bachelor of arts in English and a certificate in theater and dance. She taught in the Humanities Council’s Program in Journalism in the 2000-01 academic year while she worked for CNN.
Last year, Ressa participated in Journalism’s virtual panel “Reporting on Repressive Governments: How journalists overcome barriers to safeguard free speech and inform democracy.” Ressa joined the panel from her airplane seat on her way to Princeton, after initially being prevented from leaving the Philippines.
