DVXD & the Google News Initiative Partner with Maria Ressa

May 01, 2019   ·
1 min read

Together with the Google News Initiative, DVXD has partnered with journalist, press freedom advocate, and recent Time Magazine Person of the Year nominee, Maria Ressa, on an initiative to enable more civic engagement among news readers.

As CEO of Rappler, an independent digital news agency based in the Philippines, Ressa has faced mounting pressure and harassment for Rappler's coverage of the administration of Rodgrido Duterte. Rappler has been critical of the current administrations policies, specifically the extra judicial killings of alleged drug traffickers and their treatment of journalists who have also been critical of the Philippines' President and his policies.

"Maria has dedicated her career to using investigate journalism as tool to advocate for democracy and expose tyranny, from her coverage of Al Qaeda to her vocal criticism of tech companies that allow their platforms to be used to spread misinformation. ", says DVXD Principal, Derek Vaz. "It is an honour for us to partner with GNI and Maria's team to help co-create a new type of news platform that encourages more civic discourse and action."

The new platform is slated to launch in 2020.