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OSLO (AP) – The 2021 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded Friday to journalists Maria Ressa from the Philippines and Dmitry Muratov from Russia.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee cited their fight for freedom of expression, stressing that it is vital in promoting peace.
“Free, independent and factual journalism serves to protect against abuse of power, lies and war propaganda,” said Berit Reiss-Andersen, chair of the committee.
“Without freedom of speech and freedom of the press, it will be difficult to succeed in promoting brotherhood among nations, disarmament and a better world order to be successful in our time,” she said.
Ressa in 2012 co-founded Rappler, a news site that focused “critical attention on the controversial and murderous anti-drug campaign of the (President Rodrigo) Duterte’s regime,” the Nobel committee said.
She and Rappler “have also documented how social media is used to spread fake news, harass opponents and manipulate public discourse.”
Reacting to the news, Ressa told Norwegian channel TV2 that “the government (of the Philippines) will obviously not be happy”,
“I’m a little shocked. It’s really moving, ”she added. “But I am happy on behalf of my team and I want to thank the Nobel Committee for recognizing what we are going through.”
Muratov was one of the founders of the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta in 1993.
“Novaya Gazeta is today the most independent newspaper in Russia, with a fundamentally critical attitude towards power,” said the Nobel committee.
“The factual journalism and professional integrity of the newspaper have made it an important source of information on the reprehensible aspects of Russian society rarely mentioned by other media,” he added.
The Nobel committee noted that since the launch of Novaya Gazeta, six of its journalists have been killed, including Anna Politkovskaya who was covering Russia’s bloody conflict in Chechnya.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov hailed Muratov as a “talented and courageous” person.
“We can congratulate Dmitry Muratov – he has always worked according to his ideals,” Peskov said on a conference call with reporters after the award was announced.
Reiss-Andersen noted that the Peace Prize has been awarded to journalists in the past, including Ernesto Teodoro Moneta from Italy who was cited in 1907 “for his work in the press and in peace meetings”.
In 1935, Carl von Ossietzky received the award “for his ardent love for freedom of thought and expression” after revealing that Germany was secretly rearming after World War I.
Reiss-Andersen also noted the risks to free speech in today’s world due to the spread of fake news, noting that Ressa criticized Facebook’s role in manipulating public debate. “The dissemination of false news and information which is propaganda and falsehood is also a violation of freedom of expression, and all freedom of expression has its limits. It is also a very important factor in this debate, ”she said.
The prestigious award is accompanied by a gold medal and 10 million Swedish kronor (over $ 1.14 million). The prize money comes from a bequest left by the creator of the prize, Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel, who died in 1895.
On Monday, the Nobel Committee awarded the Physiology or Medicine Prize to Americans David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian for their findings on how the human body perceives temperature and touch it..
The Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded on Tuesday to three scientists whose work has found order in a semblance of disorder, helping to explain and predict the complex forces of nature, including expanding our understanding of climate change.
Benjamin List and David WC MacMillan were named Nobel laureates in chemistry on Wednesday for finding a simpler, more environmentally friendly way to build molecules that can be used to make compounds, including drugs and pesticides.
The Nobel Prize for Literature was awarded on Thursday to UK-based Tanzanian writer Abdulrazak Gurnah, who has been recognized for his “uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the plight of the refugee”.
Monday still to come is the award for outstanding work in the field of economics.
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Frank Jordans in Berlin, Vanessa Gera in Warsaw, Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Vladimir Isachenkov in Russia contributed to this report.
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Read more articles on past and present Nobel Prizes from The Associated Press at https://www.apnews.com/NobelPrizes
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