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Seeking to strengthen press freedom at a time when journalists find themselves under increasing pressure from authoritarian governments and other hostile forces, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded on Friday to two journalists thousands of miles apart for their tireless efforts to hold the powerful to account.
The journalists, Maria Ressa from the Philippines and Dmitri A. Muratov from Russia, were honored for “their courageous fight for freedom of expression, which is a prerequisite for democracy and lasting peace”.
“They are representatives of all journalists who defend this ideal in a world where democracy and press freedom face increasingly unfavorable conditions,” the committee said in a statement released after the announcement to Oslo.
Ms Ressa – a Fulbright scholar and Time magazine personality of the year for her work in the crusade against disinformation – has been a constant thorn in the side of President Rodrigo Duterte, her country’s authoritarian president.
The digital media company for investigative journalism she co-founded, Rappler, has exposed government corruption and has researched the financial assets and potential conflicts of interest of prominent politicians. He also did pioneering work on the Duterte government’s violent drug campaign.
“The death toll is so high that the campaign looks like a war against the country’s own people,” the committee said. “Ms. Ressa and Rappler also documented how social media is used to spread fake news, harass opponents and manipulate public discourse.”
Speaking on Rappler’s Facebook Live platform, Ms. Ressa said she hoped the award was “recognition of how difficult it is to be a journalist today.”
“This is for you, Rappler,” she said, her voice cracking slightly, adding that she hopes “for the energy for all of us to continue the battle for the facts.”
Mr Muratov has defended freedom of expression in Russia for decades, working under increasingly difficult conditions.
He was one of the founders of the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta in 1993, and has been its editor since 1995. Despite an almost constant barrage of harassment, threats, violence and even killings, the newspaper has continued to to appear.
Since its inception, six journalists at the newspaper have been killed, including Anna Politkovskaya, who wrote revealing articles on the war in Chechnya, according to the committee.
“Despite the murders and threats, editor-in-chief Muratov refused to abandon the newspaper’s independent policy,” the committee wrote. “He has always championed the right of journalists to write whatever they want about what they want, as long as they uphold the professional and ethical standards of journalism.”
Mr Muratov said the announcement of the award came as a surprise. When he received a call from an unidentified number in Norway, he told Russian media, he initially did not pick it up.
He said he would donate part of the prize money to fighting spinal muscular atrophy, a cause he has long championed, and to support journalism against pressure from Russian authorities.
“We will use this award to fight for Russian journalism, which they are now trying to suppress,” Muratov told Podyom, a Russian news site.
The Nobel committee chose from 329 candidates, one of the largest pools in the 126-year history of the prize. Those who had been considered the favorites for this year included climate change activists, political dissidents and scientists whose work has helped fight the Covid-19 pandemic.
In its quote, the committee said that “free, independent and fact-based journalism serves to protect against abuse of power, lies and war propaganda.”
“Without freedom of speech and freedom of the press,” the committee said, “it will be difficult to succeed in promoting brotherhood among nations, disarmament and a better world order to be successful in our time.”
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