Journalists Win Nobel Peace Prize For 'Defending Freedom Of Expression', The First After 1935
The Filipino journalist Maria Ressa and Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov are known to start media organizations that criticize their respective governments and hold them accountable
Journalists Maria Ressa from the Philippines and Dmitry Muratov from Russia have been named for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize by the Oslo-based Norwegian Nobel Committee "for their courageous fight for freedom of expression (FoE) in the Philippines and Russia".
The First After 1935
"They are representatives of all journalists who stand up for this ideal (FoE) in a world in which democracy and freedom of the press face increasingly adverse conditions", the committee said in a statement announcing the winners.
The two will share the winning prize of 10 million Swedish krona (about ₹8.25 crore). It is the first award for journalism since German reporter Carl von Ossietzky won the Peace Prize in 1935.
Maria Ressa
Filipino-American journalist Maria Ressa, who also won the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize 2021, is the co-founder of Rappler, a digital media company for
investigative journalism.
"Rappler has focused critical attention on the [Rodrigo] Duterte (President of the Philippines) regime’s controversial, murderous anti-drug campaign. Ms. Ressa and Rappler have also documented how social media is being used to spread fake news, harass opponents and manipulate public discourse", the statement read.
Ressa has faced legal proceedings, arrests, and convictions in the past, termed as intimidation by some as she and her organization are known for open criticism of the Rodrigo government.
Ressa has become the first in the Philippines to win the Nobel Peace Prize. She said she hopes the award will bolster investigative journalism to hold power accountable.
Dmitry Muratov
Dmitry Muratov is a Russian journalist and founder-editor of Novaya Gazeta, an investigative newspaper backed by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
Novaya Gazeta “is the most independent newspaper in Russia today, with a fundamentally critical attitude towards power,” the committee said.
It further added, "Since its start-up in 1993, Novaja Gazeta 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" and "since the newspaper’s start, six of its journalists have been killed, including Anna Politkovskaya who wrote revealing articles on the war in Chechnya."
Politkovskaya, who won international acclaim for her reporting on the human rights abuses in the Russian republic of Chechnya was shot dead in her apartment building on Oct. 7 [incidentally Russian President Putin's birthday also] in 2006, exactly 15 years ago.
Press Freedom At A Decline
The Philippines and Russia are considered dangerous countries for journalists to work in. In the World Press Freedom Index 2021, the Philippines was ranked 138, falling two places since last year, while Russia stood at 150 among 180 countries.
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded "to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses", as mentioned in the will of Alfred Nobel, a Swedish chemist, engineer, inventor, businessman, and philanthropist. He had 355 different patents in his name, dynamite being the most famous.
Peace was the fifth and final prize area that Nobel mentioned in his will. The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded by a committee elected by the Norwegian Parliament (Stortinget).
The committee formally called the Norwegian Nobel Committee, selects the recipients each year. Last year, the World Food Programme of the United Nations had won the award.
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