Democracy Dies by a Thousand Cuts

In a hushed courtroom, with only litigants, their lawyers, and three other journalists present, a judge convicted the Philippine journalist Maria Ressa for an article she did not write, edit, or supervise, of a crime that hadn’t even existed when the story was published. In sentencing Maria and the story’s author, Reynaldo Santos Jr., to a jail term of six months to six years, Judge Rainelda Estacio-Montesa quoted Nelson Mandela, saying, “To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” This is how democracy dies in the 21st century: in a musty courtroom, with a judge invoking Mandela. There are no power grabs in the...