Two Journalists Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for ‘Their Efforts to Safeguard Freedom of Expression’

Photo by ISAAC LAWRENCE,YURI KADOBNOV/AFP via Getty Images.

Two journalists were awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize, announced the Norwegian Nobel Committee on Friday.

Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov won the annual prize for their critical reporting in the Philippines and Russia, respectively, in what the committee called “their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression.” Both countries are known to be hostile toward the press.

Ressa became the first Filipino to win the award and the first female Nobel recipient this year.

According to the committee:

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

Muratov co-founded the independent newspaper Novaja Gazeta, where he has been editor-in-chief for 24 years. The publication “is the most independent newspaper in Russia today, with a fundamentally critical attitude towards power,” according to the committee.

Additionally, according to the committee:

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. 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.

Novaja Gazeta’s opponents have responded with harassment, threats, violence and murder. Since the newspaper’s start, six of its journalists have been killed, including Anna Politkovskaja who wrote revealing articles on the war in Chechnya. Despite the killings and threats, editor-in-chief Muratov has refused to abandon the newspaper’s independent policy. He has consistently defended the right of journalists to write anything they want about whatever they want, as long as they comply with the professional and ethical standards of journalism.