“Free journalism in Venezuela is a species in extinction,” said Venezuelan journalist Luz Mely Reyes.
“In Vietnam, to bring the truth to the readers, you have to overcome the fear that comes with being a journalist,” said Vietnamese blogger Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh.
“Who holds governments accountable? We cross these lines. We sound the alert,” said Philippine journalist Maria Ressa.
Reyes, Quynh, and Ressa—all 2018 CPJ awardees—were featured in a video published by TIME magazine today that honored journalists as its 2018 Person of the Year, naming them “The Guardians.”
The Guardians—slain Saudi columnist Jamal Khashoggi, imprisoned Myanmar journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, Rappler CEO Ressa, and the staff of the Maryland newspaper the Capital Gazette—have all been targeted in direct relation to their work.
Still, these journalists and thousands of others around the world keep working to bring us the news. As Venezuelan journalist Reyes put it, “We decided that instead of watching the funeral of journalism, we would do something. When we produce many lights, even small lights, we can illuminate a whole nation.”
