• Maria Ressa and her news organization were cleared of tax evasion charges.
• Ressa says it took more than four years to get to this point.
• Tax evasion case shows how legal system is being used to retaliate against journalists.

Given that this has been a significant victory for Maria Ressa, it becomes sense that she appears and sounds as though she is on top of the world.

The journalist and her news organization were cleared of tax evasion charges by a Philippine court, which has been hailed as a victory for press freedom.

In an interview for the Media, she talks about what she calls the “weaponization of the law” against her – and how it took more than four years to get to this point.

“This is a day that we had hoped would happen sooner,” she told me over zoom from Manila – beaming smiles as she spoke.

“And you know, it went down to these three things, facts, truth and justice. That is who won today.”

When it gathered money through its cooperation with foreign investors, the Philippine government under former president Rodrigo Duterte had accused Ms. Ressa and news organization of avoiding tax payments.

News organization and Ms. Ressa refuted the accusations.

One of the few Philippine media outlets to publicly criticize Mr. Duterte and his policies was news organization.

The tax evasion case, according to the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines, shows how the legal system is increasingly being used to retaliate against journalists and members of civil society.

But the journey hasn’t been simple, and the fight is far from over. Although Ms. Ressa is well aware of the difficulties she still faces, she finds inspiration in others who have come before her.

“You know, Martin Luther King says, yes – it will take time,” she said. “But as I was reading through the decision, and there was no reason to take us to court… we’re not tax evaders – we never were… This was an incredibly important day because it would have set a direction for which way the Philippines was going.”

Maria Ressa‘s legal problems started while Mr. Duterte’s administration was in power, and continued into the current President Ferdinand Marcos Junior’s time.

Does she think things are changing now, under his rule?

“Our president is in Davos today speaking to business leaders,” she muses. “So it is, it’s a great signal to bring about where the Philippines is. We still have a ways to go – the fight isn’t over. And can I go to jail? I hope not. I’ll knock on wood, you know, but I was ready for either decision.”

It is obvious that Maria Ressa is prepared to battle because she still faces legal challenges in numerous cases, many of which could result in lengthy prison terms.

Her family, especially her parents, have suffered during the past four years. However, as she puts it, it’s typical for this work.

“It’s like being in a conflict area – being in a war zone. It’s just long, right?”

Ms. Ressa’s enthusiasm and optimism are infectious – but behind the beaming smiles and much deserved relief is a palpable sense of injustice.

This is directed not only at the system that could have potentially thrown her in jail, but also at social media companies that she believes are partially to blame for the fake news pandemic in the Philippines, which she claims is the root of many of the nation’s current ills.

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