And now, from the University of Chicago Institute of Politics and CNN Audio, the Axe Files,

with your host, David Axelrod.

Despite threats of violence and prison, she's led her intrepid digital news organization

Rappler to cover the Philippines thoroughly and honestly.

Even when it's meant shining a bright light in the dark corners of an increasingly violent

and autocratic regime, she's become the victim of an organized online campaign of disinformation

and hate, abetted by the policies and algorithms of Facebook.

Yet with all that, Maria Ressa cheerfully, courageously persists in her battle to report

the news, clean up social media, and save the Philippines and democracies everywhere

including ours, from a world without truth, a world without facts.

Here's my conversation with the 2021 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, the remarkable Maria

Ressa.

Maria Ressa, it's so good to see you.

I saw you last week in Chicago at the conference that the Institute of Politics had in conjunction

with the Atlantic.

You were the extraordinary kickoff speaker there, and now you're back in the Philippines,

and it's good to see you again.

No, it's very good to see you again, and congratulations.

That was an incredible conference, best minds to pull together.

Not the least of which, because of your participation, and we're going to get to all that.

People know you now as a Nobel Prize winner, and as an exemplar of the fight for press freedom

and for democracy, but I want to know how you got there.

...