For ‘safeguarding freedom of expression’, two journalists win Nobel Peace Prize 2021

The Nobel Peace Prize will be given out on December 10, the anniversary of the death of Swedish inventor and philanthropist Alfred Nobel, who founded the awards in his will in 1895.

The Nobel Peace Prize 2021 was on Friday presented to two journalists whose work has enraged authorities in Russia and the Philippines, honouring the right to free speech, which the prize-giving committee characterized as being under threat across the world.

The duo of Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov was honoured ‘for their courageous fight for freedom of expression in the Philippines and Russia,’ Chairwoman Berit Reiss-Andersen of the Norwegian Nobel Committee spoke of them.

At the same time, they are ambassadors of all journalists who defend this concept in a world where democracy and press freedom are increasingly threatened, Berit went on to say.

As per Reiss-Andersen, free, independent, and fact-based journalism protect against power abuse, falsehoods, and war propaganda.

The Nobel Peace Prize will be awarded on December 10, the anniversary of Swedish philanthropist Alfred Nobel’s death, who established the prizes in his testament in 1895.

Maria Ressa’s critical attention on the Duterte regime’s murderous anti-drug campaign

Maria Ressa exposes abuses of power, the use of violence, and the rise of authoritarianism in her homeland Philippines. She co-founded Rappler, a digital media company focused on investigative journalism in 2012 and continues to lead it.

Ressa has shown herself to be a courageous champion of freedom of expression as a journalist and CEO of Rappler. The news outlet has criticized the Duterte administration’s controversial and violent anti-drug campaign, which looks to be a battle fought against the country’s own people due to the high number of casualties.

Ms. Ressa and Rappler have also revealed how social media is being used to distribute false information, harass critics, and sway public opinion.

Dmitry Andreyevich Muratov is editor-in-chief of “Russia’s most independent newspaper”

On the other hand, Dmitry Andreyevich Muratov has fought for the freedom of expression in Russia for decades, despite increasingly difficult circumstances.

He was a co-founder of the independent journal Novaja Gazeta in 1993, for which he has served as the editor-in-chief for a total of 24 years, beginning in 1995.

As per the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Novaja Gazeta is now the country’s most independent newspaper, with a deeply critical stance toward the government authorities. Because of its fact-based journalism and professional ethics, the newspaper has become a valuable source of information about controversial elements of Russian society, that are rarely covered by other media outlets.

Novaja Gazeta has published critical articles on a variety of topics since its inception in 1993, including corruption, police brutality, unlawful arrests, election fraud, and “troll factories,” as well as the deployment of Russian armed forces both inside and beyond Russia.

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Aasif Ganaie

Aasif is a journalist and a news enthusiast based in Jammu & Kashmir. He voyages to explore and uncover the stories More »
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