Online news journalist Maria Ressa posts bail on tax evasion charges
346 views · Published 8 December 2018 · 1:22 · Indexed 27 September 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(3 Dec 2018) President of an online news outlet and journalist Maria Ressa posted bail on Monday at a court in Manila after the country's prosecutors filled charges of tax evasion against her news website that has been critical of President Rodrigo Duterte. Ressa maintained that Rappler has paid the right taxes and said the charges are politically motivated. She said the government's goal was to affect the morale of her team, but they would not be deterred as their work was "critically important right now". Duterte had already banned a Rappler reporter from his news briefings after the government's corporate watchdog found that the organization violated a constitutional prohibition on foreign ownership when it received money from an international investment firm. Rappler rejected the ruling. Duterte has accused several independent media groups in the Philippines of biased reporting, including on his crackdown on illegal drugs that has left thousands mostly urban poor dwellers dead and drew condemnation by Western governments and UN bodies. Rappler, founded in 2012, says it remains wholly Filipino-owned and that the foreigners have no voting rights or a say in its management and news operations. The brash-talking Duterte accused Rappler last year of being owned by Americans in violation of the Philippine Constitution and that the news outfit was funded by the Central Intelligence Agency. Rappler denied the allegations. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/5f49cbee513a7b754f69927878fcb3be
