'Hold the line,' Maria Ressa says after posting bail in Manila

The Philippine government is on a crusade to silence Rappler, a pioneering news website that has challenged the government's policies and claims.

On Wednesday the site's exec editor Maria Ressa was arrested in connection with dubious "cyber libel" charges. She spent the night in jail and arrived in court for bail proceedings on Thursday morning in Manila. According to Rappler's coverage, she posted bail and the court issued a release order.

Journalists and press freedom advocates are rallying around Ressa, believing that Rodrigo Duterte's harassment of her website has hit a new low. NYU's Jay Rosen said Wednesday that Ressa is "perhaps the most important free press figure in the world right now."

Here's my story about why this case matters so much... And here's the main CNN.com story with the very latest...

What's at risk

Ressa (who ran CNN's bureau in Manila before launching Rappler) is "one of the most optimistic and energetic people I've ever met," CPJ's Steven Butler wrote in this column. "She conveys an infectious enthusiasm for her craft and profession -- digging deep and reporting the news."

Butler urged people who believe in the power of a free press to "make a big noise" about what's going on -- Not just in The Philippines, but across Asia, "where press freedom is in retreat."

Ressa sometimes ends her speeches by saying "we will hold the line." She said it again on Thursday right after being released. "When I look back a decade from now," she said, "I want to make sure that I have done all I can. We will not duck. We will not hide. We will hold the line."

That's what this moment is about...

FOR THE RECORD, PART ONE

-- Bill Shine's wife Darla went on an outrageous "pro-measles, anti-vax rant" on Wednesday... (The Daily Beast)

-- I'll be on CNN's "New Day" along with Dr. Sanjay Gupta to discuss this issue on Thursday morning...

-- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette publisher JR Block returned to the newsroom on Wednesday for the first time since this disturbing incident last Saturday... Colin Deppen has the latest here... (The Incline)

-- LAT's Matt Pearce tweeted: "300+ journalists at the L.A. Times, including Pulitzer winners and our top columnists, have signed a letter of protest over the company's proposal on intellectual property, which we think would be the worst in the industry..." (LAT Guild)

"Doom for Paul Manafort"

That's how CNN's Jeffrey Toobin reacted to a judge's ruling that Paul Manafort "intentionally" lied to Robert Mueller's office, thus voiding his plea deal.

Katelyn Polantz calls Judge Amy Berman Jackson's ruling "another stunning turn in Mueller's efforts to uncover Russian interference in the 2016 election..." Read on...

>> Stephen Collinson's Thursday morning analysis for CNN.com: "Why have so many of President Donald Trump's associates been caught lying about contacts with Russians?"

FOR THE RECORD, PART TWO

-- "Fox News has rejected a national advertising buy for a 30-second spot that warns viewers about the potential dangers of American fascism after an ad sales representative said network leadership deemed it inappropriate," Jeremy Barr reported... (THR)

-- BuzzFeed employees "have begun to question" Jonah Peretti's leadership — "not just about how last week's cuts were carried out, but also about decisions he has made that led the company to this point," Lucia Moses reports... (BI)

-- Read more of Wednesday's "Reliable Sources" newsletter... And subscribe here to receive future editions in your inbox...

-- Media Matters' Matthew Gertz explains his tactics for tracking Trump's TV-to-Twitter habits... (CJR)