Amal Clooney unfortunately could not join us for health reasons but sends her warmest regards to everyone.

Maria Ressa is well known to us. She is a journalist, a businesswoman, author, and global terrorism expert who serves as the chief executive officer of the online news website Rappler, which she co-founded in 2012. She was awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to safeguard freedom of expression in the Philippines. She previously spent nearly two decades working as a lead investigative reporter in Southeast Asia for CNN. I am delighted to have her with us. I know we are in for a treat. Welcome, Maria.

Maria, you have worked as a reporter for thirty years. I want to read a bit from what the Nobel Committee said when they awarded you the Peace Prize. It was awarded to you and Russian journalist, Dmitry Muratov last year. They singled you both out as “representatives of all journalists who stand up for freedom of expression,” and they noted at the same time, with some alarm that “democracy and freedom of the press increasingly face adverse conditions.” In your Nobel lecture, you spoke about some of these adverse conditions, including the impact of social media, lack of funding for independent journalism, and impunity for crimes against journalists. What is it about today's world that makes it so dangerous for journalists, so difficult?