The 2021 Nobel Peace Prize was given to Filipino journalist Maria Ressa and Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov on Friday.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee emphasized the importance of freedom of expression in achieving peace in their acceptance speech.
“Free, independent, and fact-based journalism protects against misuse of power, lies, and war propaganda,” said the committee’s chair, Berit Reiss-Andersen.
“It will be difficult to promote fraternity between states, disarmament, and a better international order to thrive in our time without freedom of expression and freedom of the press,” she stated.
The Nobel committee noted that Ressa co-founded Rappler in 2012, a news website that has focused “critical attention on the (President Rodrigo) Duterte regime’s notorious, homicidal anti-drug campaign.”
“We’ve also documented how social media is being used to promote fake news, bully opponents, and distort public discourse,” she and Rappler said.
Ressa told Norway’s TV2 channel that “the administration (of the Philippines) would surely not be delighted” as a result of the news.
“I’m a little taken aback.”It’s very emotional,” she continued. “However, I am pleased on behalf of my team and would want to express my gratitude to the Nobel Committee for acknowledging our plight.”
Muratov was a founding member of the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, which was founded in 1993.
The Nobel committee stated, “Novaya Gazeta is the most independent newspaper in Russia today, with a profoundly critical approach toward power.”
“The newspaper’s fact-based journalism and professional integrity have made it a vital source of knowledge on controversial parts of Russian society that is rarely discussed in other media,” it continued.
Six of Novaya Gazeta’s journalists have been killed since its founding, according to the Nobel committee, including Anna Politkovskaya, who chronicled Russia’s horrific struggle in Chechnya.
Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, praised Muratov as a “brilliant and brave” individual.
“We can congratulate Dmitry Muratov – he has continuously worked in accordance with his ideas,” Peskov said after the prize was revealed in a conference call with reporters.
Reiss-Andersen pointed out that the Nobel Peace Prize had previously been awarded to journalists, such as Ernesto Teodoro Moneta of Italy, who was honored in 1907 “for his efforts in the press and in peace talks.”
After demonstrating that Germany was surreptitiously re-arming after World War I, Carl von Ossietzky was awarded the medal in 1935 “for his passionate love for the freedom of thought and speech.”
Reiss-Andersen also mentioned the dangers of fake news spreading in today’s environment, saying that Ressa has been critical of Facebook’s role in distorting public discussion. “Fake news and material that is propagandist and false is likewise a violation of freedom of expression, and all freedom of expression has its limits.” “It’s also a critical aspect in this argument,” she added.
The renowned honor comes with a gold medal and a cash prize of 10 million Swedish kronor (about $1.14 million). The award money originates from a legacy left by Alfred Nobel, the prize’s originator, who died in 1895.
The Nobel Committee awarded Americans David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian the prize in physiology or medicine on Monday for their research into how the human body detects temperature and touch.
The Nobel Prize in Physics was handed on Tuesday to three scientists, whose work helped to explain and anticipate complex natural phenomena, including climate change, by finding order in what appeared to be chaos.
Benjamin List and David W.C. MacMillan were awarded Nobel Laureates in Chemistry on Wednesday for discovering a faster and more environmentally friendly approach to create molecules that may be used to make drugs and pesticides.
Abdulrazak Gurnah, a Tanzanian writer resident in the United Kingdom, was given the Nobel Prize for Literature on Thursday, for his “uncompromising and humane comprehension of the ravages of colonialism and the fate of the refugee.”
There’s more to come, the award for exceptional work in the field of economics is to be given on Monday.
