In June 2020, Philippine journalist Maria Ressa received a jail sentence of up to six years on a criminal libel charge by a Manila regional court. The co-founder and director of the independent news website Rappler was condemned for an article published in 2012 that was the subject of a complaint by a businessman. But the case was brought under a cyber-crime law that took effect after the article’s publication. Rappler's former researcher-writer Reynaldo Santos Jr. also received the same sentence. Both were allowed to post bail, pending an appeal. Following Ressa's conviction, a consortium of investigative reporting networks led by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), including the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), the Latin American Center for Investigative Journalism (CLIP), Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ), and several other news organizations came together in support of their colleagues. Forbidden Stories' mission is to continue, around the world, the work of journalists who are assassinated, harassed or jailed. Following Ressa's conviction, Forbidden Stories released a series of short-form videos on social networks aimed at amplifying the investigative reporting of Ressa and Rappler. The videos tell the story of Rappler's main investigations -- on corruption, human rights and disinformation, among other topics -- in order to send a powerful message to President Duterte: Rappler and Maria Ressa are not alone.
