Journalists from Philippines, Russia win Peace Nobel

Journalists Maria Ressa of the Philippines and Dmitry Muratov of Russia won the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace.
Ms Ressa and Mr Muratov are receiving the Peace Prize for their courageous fight for freedom of expression in the Philippines and Russia.

Maria Ressa

Maria Ressa uses freedom of expression to expose abuse of power, use of violence and growing authoritarianism in her native country, the Philippines.
In 2012, she co-founded Rappler, a digital media company for investigative journalism, which she still heads.
Rappler has focused critical attention on the Duterte regime’s controversial, murderous anti-drug campaign. The number of deaths is so high that the campaign resembles a war waged against the country’s own population.
Ms Ressa and Rappler have also documented how social media is being used to spread fake news, harass opponents and manipulate public discourse.

Dmitry Muratov

Dmitry Andreyevich Muratov has for decades defended freedom of speech in Russia under increasingly challenging conditions.
In 1993, he was one of the founders of the independent newspaper Novaja Gazeta.
Novaja Gazeta is the most independent newspaper in Russia today, with a fundamentally critical attitude towards power.
The newspaper’s 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.
Novaja Gazeta has published critical articles on subjects ranging from corruption, police violence, unlawful arrests, electoral fraud and ”troll factories” to the use of Russian military forces both within and outside Russia.