Journalists Maria Ressa of the Philippines and Dmitry Muratov of Russia won the 2021 on Friday for their fight for freedom of expression in countries where reporters have faced persistent attacks, harassment and even murder.
Ressa and Muratov were honored for their 鈥渃ourageous鈥� work but also were considered 鈥渞epresentatives of all journalists who stand up for this ideal in a world in which democracy and freedom of the press face increasingly adverse conditions,鈥� said Berit Reiss-Andersen, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
Ressa in 2012 co-founded Rappler, a news website that the committee noted had focused critical attention on President Rodrigo Duterte鈥檚 鈥渃ontroversial, murderous anti-drug campaign鈥� in the Philippines.
She and Rappler 鈥渉ave also documented how social media is being used to spread fake news, harass opponents and manipulate public discourse,鈥� it said.
Muratov was one of the founders in 1993 of the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, which the Nobel committee called 鈥渢he most independent newspaper in Russia today, with a fundamentally critical attitude towards power.鈥�
鈥淭he newspaper鈥檚 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,鈥� it added, noting that six of its journalists were killed since its founding.
Ressa, the first Filipino to win the peace prize and the first woman to be honored this year with an award by the Nobel committee, was and sentenced to jail in a decision seen as a .
Currently out on bail but facing seven active legal cases, Ressa, 58, said she hopes the award will bolster investigative journalism 鈥渢hat will hold power to account.鈥�
鈥淭his relentless campaign of harassment and intimidation against me and my fellow journalists in the Philippines is a stark example of a global trend,鈥� she told The Associated Press.
She also pointed to social media giants like Facebook as a serious threat to democracy, saying 鈥渢hey actually prioritized the spread of lies laced with anger and hate over facts.鈥�
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 think that what we are going through would get that attention. But the fact that it did also shows you how important the battles we face are, right?鈥� she said. 鈥淭his is going to be what our elections are going to be like next year. It is a battle for facts. When you鈥檙e in a battle for facts, journalism is activism.鈥�
Muratov, 59, said he sees the prize as an award to Novaya Gazeta journalists and contributors who were killed, including Anna Politkovskaya, who covered Russia鈥檚 bloody conflict in Chechnya.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a recognition of the memory of our fallen colleagues,鈥� he said.
鈥淪ince the Nobel Peace Prize isn鈥檛 awarded posthumously, they came up with this so that Anya could take it, but through other, second hands,鈥� Muratov said, referring to Politkovskaya.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 17 media workers were killed in the Philippines in the last decade and 23 in Russia.
Muratov said he would use part of his share of the 10 million Swedish kronor (over $1.14 million) prize money to help independent media as well as a Moscow hospice and children with spinal muscular problems. He said he wouldn鈥檛 keep any of the money himself.
Former Soviet leader and 1990 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mikhail Gorbachev used some of his award to help fund what would become Novaya Gazeta. He congratulated Muratov, calling him 鈥渁 wonderful, brave and honest journalist and my friend.鈥�
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also praised Muratov as a 鈥渢alented and brave鈥� person who 鈥渉as consistently worked in accordance with his ideals.鈥�
But Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia鈥檚 envoy to international organizations in Vienna, tweeted that Novaya Gazeta鈥檚 editorial policy 鈥渉as nothing to do with strengthening peace鈥� and that 鈥渟uch controversial decisions diminish the value of the Prize.鈥�
Moscow-based political analyst Abbas Gallyamov said the award marked 鈥渁 painful strike to the Russian authorities 鈥� because the freedom of speech and the principles of independent journalism are an evil in the eyes of Russian authorities.鈥�
As part of a new crackdown on independent journalists in Russia under President Vladimir Putin, the government has designated some of them 鈥渇oreign agents,鈥� saying they received funding from abroad and engaged in undescribed 鈥減olitical activities.鈥� Muratov said he asked government officials who congratulated him if he would now also receive that designation, but received no reply.
The state RIA Novosti news agency quoted lawmaker Alexander Bashkin as saying the Nobel wouldn鈥檛 fall under the definition of foreign funding under the bill on foreign agents. Hours after the prize announcement, the Russian Justice Ministry added nine more journalists to its list of foreign agents.
Muratov on Friday denounced the foreign agent bill as a 鈥渟hameless鈥� attempt to muzzle independent voices.
Referring to the hopes by many in Russia that the prize should go to imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Muratov said he would have voted for him if he were on the committee, saying that he admires Navalny鈥檚 courage and adding that 鈥渆verything is still ahead for him.鈥�
Some critics have questioned if honoring journalists respected the will of Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel and its original purpose to prevent war, but Reiss-Andersen said freedom of expression was essential to peace.
鈥淔ree, independent and fact-based journalism serves to protect against abuse of power, lies and war propaganda,鈥� she said. 鈥淲ithout freedom of expression and freedom of the press, it will be difficult to successfully promote fraternity between nations, disarmament and a better world order to succeed in our time.鈥�
She also cited the danger of misinformation and attacks on journalists by leaders denouncing them as purveyors of 鈥渇ake news.鈥�
鈥淐onveying fake news and information that is propaganda and untrue is also a violation of freedom of expression, and all freedom of expression has its limitations. That is also a very important factor in this debate,鈥� she said.
Media rights group Reporters Without Borders celebrated the announcement, expressing 鈥渏oy and urgency.鈥�
Director Christophe Deloire called it 鈥渁n extraordinary tribute to journalism, an excellent tribute to all journalists who take risks everywhere around the world to defend the right to information.鈥�
鈥淛ournalism is in danger, journalism is weakened, journalism is threatened. Democracies are weakened by disinformation, by rumors, by hate speech,鈥� said Deloire, whose group has worked with Ressa and Muratov to defend defend journalism in their countries and comes under regular criticism from authoritarian governments.
After the announcement, the Nobel committee itself was put on the spot when a reporter asked about its decision to award the to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who has since become entangled in a .
鈥淭oday, I will not comment on other Nobel laureates and other issues than we have on the table today, but I can mention that the situation for freedom of press in Ethiopia is very far from ideal and is facing severe restrictions,鈥� Reiss-Andersen said.
In other awards announced this week by the Nobel Committee:
鈥� The medicine prize went to Americans David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian for their discoveries into .
鈥� The physics prize went to , helping to explain and predict complex forces of nature, including expanding understanding of climate change.
鈥� The chemistry prize went to Benjamin List and David W.C. MacMillan for finding that can be used to make compounds, including medicines and pesticides.
鈥� The literature prize went to , for his 鈥渦ncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fate of the refugee.鈥�
The economics prize will be awarded Monday.
鈥擵ladimir Isachenkov, Kiko Rosario And Vanessa Gera, The Associated Press
