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 sa国际传媒渃ourageoussa国际传媒� work but also were considered sa国际传媒渞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,sa国际传媒� 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 Dutertesa国际传媒檚 sa国际传媒渃ontroversial, murderous anti-drug campaignsa国际传媒� in the Philippines.
She and Rappler sa国际传媒渉ave also documented how social media is being used to spread fake news, harass opponents and manipulate public discourse,sa国际传媒� it said.
Muratov was one of the founders in 1993 of the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, which the Nobel committee called sa国际传媒渢he most independent newspaper in Russia today, with a fundamentally critical attitude towards power.sa国际传媒�
sa国际传媒淭he newspapersa国际传媒檚 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,sa国际传媒� 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 sa国际传媒渢hat will hold power to account.sa国际传媒�
sa国际传媒淭his relentless campaign of harassment and intimidation against me and my fellow journalists in the Philippines is a stark example of a global trend,sa国际传媒� she told The Associated Press.
She also pointed to social media giants like Facebook as a serious threat to democracy, saying sa国际传媒渢hey actually prioritized the spread of lies laced with anger and hate over facts.sa国际传媒�
sa国际传媒淚 didnsa国际传媒檛 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?sa国际传媒� she said. sa国际传媒淭his is going to be what our elections are going to be like next year. It is a battle for facts. When yousa国际传媒檙e in a battle for facts, journalism is activism.sa国际传媒�
Muratov, 59, said he sees the prize as an award to Novaya Gazeta journalists and contributors who were killed, including Anna Politkovskaya, who covered Russiasa国际传媒檚 bloody conflict in Chechnya.
sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 a recognition of the memory of our fallen colleagues,sa国际传媒� he said.
sa国际传媒淪ince the Nobel Peace Prize isnsa国际传媒檛 awarded posthumously, they came up with this so that Anya could take it, but through other, second hands,sa国际传媒� 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 wouldnsa国际传媒檛 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 sa国际传媒渁 wonderful, brave and honest journalist and my friend.sa国际传媒�
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also praised Muratov as a sa国际传媒渢alented and bravesa国际传媒� person who sa国际传媒渉as consistently worked in accordance with his ideals.sa国际传媒�
But Mikhail Ulyanov, Russiasa国际传媒檚 envoy to international organizations in Vienna, tweeted that Novaya Gazetasa国际传媒檚 editorial policy sa国际传媒渉as nothing to do with strengthening peacesa国际传媒� and that sa国际传媒渟uch controversial decisions diminish the value of the Prize.sa国际传媒�
Moscow-based political analyst Abbas Gallyamov said the award marked sa国际传媒渁 painful strike to the Russian authorities sa国际传媒� because the freedom of speech and the principles of independent journalism are an evil in the eyes of Russian authorities.sa国际传媒�
As part of a new crackdown on independent journalists in Russia under President Vladimir Putin, the government has designated some of them sa国际传媒渇oreign agents,sa国际传媒� saying they received funding from abroad and engaged in undescribed sa国际传媒減olitical activities.sa国际传媒� 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 wouldnsa国际传媒檛 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 sa国际传媒渟hamelesssa国际传媒� 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 Navalnysa国际传媒檚 courage and adding that sa国际传媒渆verything is still ahead for him.sa国际传媒�
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.
sa国际传媒淔ree, independent and fact-based journalism serves to protect against abuse of power, lies and war propaganda,sa国际传媒� she said. sa国际传媒淲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.sa国际传媒�
She also cited the danger of misinformation and attacks on journalists by leaders denouncing them as purveyors of sa国际传媒渇ake news.sa国际传媒�
sa国际传媒淐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,sa国际传媒� she said.
Media rights group Reporters Without Borders celebrated the announcement, expressing sa国际传媒渏oy and urgency.sa国际传媒�
Director Christophe Deloire called it sa国际传媒渁n extraordinary tribute to journalism, an excellent tribute to all journalists who take risks everywhere around the world to defend the right to information.sa国际传媒�
sa国际传媒淛ournalism is in danger, journalism is weakened, journalism is threatened. Democracies are weakened by disinformation, by rumors, by hate speech,sa国际传媒� 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 .
sa国际传媒淭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,sa国际传媒� Reiss-Andersen said.
In other awards announced this week by the Nobel Committee:
sa国际传媒� The medicine prize went to Americans David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian for their discoveries into .
sa国际传媒� The physics prize went to , helping to explain and predict complex forces of nature, including expanding understanding of climate change.
sa国际传媒� 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.
sa国际传媒� The literature prize went to , for his sa国际传媒渦ncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fate of the refugee.sa国际传媒�
The economics prize will be awarded Monday.
sa国际传媒擵ladimir Isachenkov, Kiko Rosario And Vanessa Gera, The Associated Press
