(Washington Insider Magazine) -Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov, both journalists, have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to preserve and protect freedom of speech in the Philippines and Russia, respectively.
The peace award is being presented at a particularly trying moment for the media. In recent years, authoritarian governments have increasingly attacked journalists. Conversely, social media has evolved into a vehicle for a flood of misinformation aimed at eroding the legitimacy of fact-based news organizations.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 17 journalists have been assassinated in the Philippines during the past decade, while 23 have been assassinated in Russia.
The Nobel committee described the duo as “representatives of all journalists who defend this principle.” They are well-known for conducting investigations that have enraged the governments of their respective nations and have received serious threats.
Both came out in defense of press freedom after their victories.
Ms Ressa, co-founder of the news website Rappler, was praised for using her right to free speech to “reveal abuses of power, the use of violence, and increasing authoritarianism in her home country, the Philippines.” The site currently has 4.5 million Facebook followers and has gained a reputation for its astute analysis and hard-hitting investigations.
Ressa has spent most of her career reporting on Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s contentious and deadly war on drugs. The Nobel committee observed that she and Rappler “have also exposed how social media is being used to disseminate false news, bully opponents, and influence public debate.” Last year, the award-winning journalist was convicted of libel and sentenced to prison in a judgement widely seen as a significant blow to press freedom worldwide. She was the year’s first female Nobel laureate.
The Nobel committee said that Mr Muratov, co-founder and editor of the independent daily Novaya Gazeta, has fought freedom of expression in Russia under increasingly difficult circumstances for 24 years. It is now one of the only few independent sources of information in Russia, and during that period, six of its journalists have been assassinated.
Recent topics have covered the prosecution of homosexual men in Chechnya, an inquiry into the Kremlin’s presumed involvement in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in eastern Ukraine in 2014, and accusations of government attempts to manipulate last month’s Russian legislative elections.
Nonetheless, the Kremlin applauded the Russian journalist shortly after the announcement, although his publication has often criticized Russian authorities.
Referring to widespread support in Russia for imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny receiving the award, Muratov stated he would have supported him if he had been on the committee, praising Navalny’s bravery and noting that “all is still ahead for him.”
The honor comes with a gold medal and a cash prize of ten million Swedish kronor (nearly $1.1 million). The prize money is funded through a gift made in 1896 by the award’s founder, Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel.
