Two journalists win Nobel Peace Prize

• The 2021 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to journalists Maria Ressa of the Philippines and Dmitry Muratov of Russia.

• The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel to the two journalists “for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace”.

• The 2021 Peace Prize laureates are representative of all journalists who stand up for this ideal in a world in which democracy and freedom of the press face increasingly adverse conditions, the Committee said.

• Free, independent and 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. These rights are crucial prerequisites for democracy and protect against war and conflict. 

• The award of the Nobel Peace Prize to Ressa and Muratov is intended to underscore the importance of protecting and defending these fundamental rights.

• 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, it noted. 

Who is Maria Ressa?

• Maria Ressa uses freedom of expression to expose abuse of power, use of violence and growing authoritarianism in her native country, the Philippines.

• In 2012, she co-founded Rappler, a digital media company for investigative journalism, which she still heads. 

• As a journalist and the Rappler’s CEO, Ressa has shown herself to be a fearless defender of freedom of expression. 

• Rappler has focused critical attention on the Duterte regime’s controversial, murderous anti-drug campaign. The number of deaths is so high that the campaign resembles a war waged against the country’s own population. 

• Ressa and Rappler have also documented how social media is being used to spread fake news, harass opponents and manipulate public discourse.

Who is Dmitry Muratov?

• Dmitry Muratov has for decades defended freedom of speech in Russia under increasingly challenging conditions.

• In 1993, he was one of the founders of the independent newspaper Novaja Gazeta. Since 1995 he has been the newspaper’s editor-in-chief. 

• Novaja Gazeta is the most independent newspaper in Russia today, with a fundamentally critical attitude towards power. The newspaper’s fact-based journalism and professional integrity have made it an important source of information on censurable aspects of Russian society rarely mentioned by other media. 

• The newspaper has published critical articles on subjects ranging from corruption, police violence, unlawful arrests, electoral fraud and “troll factories” to the use of Russian military forces both within and outside Russia.

• Novaja Gazeta’s opponents have responded with harassment, threats, violence and murder. Since the newspaper’s start, six of its journalists have been killed.

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