2 journalists facing down despots win Nobel Prize
Two journalists who have fought to protect freedom of expression in Russia and the Philippines, angering authorities in both countries, won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday.
Maria Ressa, the first Filipino to win the award and the first woman honored in this year’s round of Nobel prizes, is the creator of Rappler, a news website focusing on President Rodrigo Duterte’s “controversial, murderous anti-drug campaign,” the Norwegian Nobel Committee said.
She is sharing the 2021 peace prize with Dmitry Muratov, one of the founders of the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, described by the committee as “the most independent newspaper in
Russia today, with a fundamentally critical attitude toward power.”
The committee praised the two journalists “for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace.”
Ressa was convicted of a controversial cyber libel charge last year and sent to jail in a stunning attack on freedom of the press.
Journalists in Russia and the Philippines have faced similar attacks, threats and even violence over the past decade.
The countries have some of the highest rates of impunity for those who murder journalists, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Since 1992, 58 journalists have been killed in Russia and 87 in the Philippines, the nonprofit group said.
“Dmitry Muratov and Maria Ressa personify the values of press freedom and the reason it matters. These are journalists under personal threat who continuously defy censorship and repression to report the news, and have led the way for others to do the same,” CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon said in a statement. “This Nobel Peace Prize is a powerful recognition of their tireless work, and that of journalists all around the world. Their struggle is our struggle.”
Muratov’s Novaya Gazeta remains one of the few independent news outlets in Russia. A Kremlin spokesman praised him for winning the award, calling him a “talented and brave” person.
“We can congratulate Dmitry Muratov — he has consistently worked in accordance with his ideals,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday.
Along with Rappler, Ressa has documented how social media is used to “spread fake news, harass opponents and manipulate public discourse,” often pointing to the threat social media giants like Facebook pose to democracy around the world, according to the committee.
In an interview with The Associated Press, she said those companies prioritize “the spread of lies laced with anger and hate over facts.”
“This is going to be what our elections are going to be like next year. It is a battle for facts. When you’re in a battle for facts, journalism is activism,” she said.
The Nobel committee said the new laureates’ fact-based journalism “serves to protect against abuse of power, lies and war propaganda.”
“The Norwegian Nobel Committee is convinced that freedom of expression and freedom of information help to ensure an informed public,” committee Chairman Berit Reiss-Andersen said.
“These rights are crucial prerequisites for democracy and protect against war and conflict.
“The award of the Nobel Peace Prize to Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov is intended to underscore the importance of protecting and defending these fundamental rights,” she said.
“Without freedom of expression and freedom of the press, it will be difficult to successfully promote fraternity between nations, disarmament and a better world order to succeed in our time.”