In the Foreword, Amal Clooney highlights the challenges faced by journalists working in authoritarian countries. Clooney portrays Ressa as a superhero, albeit an unlikely one, who fights against the odds to uphold the truth in the face of a powerful and oppressive state apparatus.

Clooney emphasizes that in an autocracy, the state controls all aspects of society, including the legal system and the media. The government uses various tactics to suppress dissent, such as vilifying opponents through online bots, revoking media licenses, and filing lawsuits to bankrupt critics. Ressa, as a journalist in the Philippines under President Duterte’s regime, has faced numerous bogus prosecutions and threats to her freedom for refusing to toe the government line.

The Foreword draws parallels between Ressa’s struggle and the experiences of historical figures like Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and Martin Luther King, Jr., who were persecuted for criticizing the governments of their time. Clooney emphasizes that Ressa’s fight is one that defines the current times, as more journalists worldwide are being imprisoned and killed than ever before, and the number of autocracies now outnumbers democracies.

Clooney underscores the irony of referring to autocratic leaders as “strongmen” when they cannot tolerate dissent or allow a level playing field.