Journalists Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov have been awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize by the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
Ressa has emerged as one of the leading voices for press freedom in the Philippines amid threats to independent journalism in the country. The co-founder and CEO of Rappler was convicted in the Philippines last year on trumped-up charges of cyber libel and has been the target of repeated efforts by the government of President Rodrigo Duterte to silence her. Ressa was the National Press Club’s 2020 John Aubuchon Press Freedom award winner.
Muratov co-founded Novaya Gazeta, “the most independent newspaper in Russia today, with a fundamentally critical attitude towards power,” according to the Nobel committee.
The Nobel Committee elaborated on the importance of press freedom in its announcement: “Without 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.”
Ressa is the first woman to win a Nobel Prize this year, and she is the first Filipino individual to win the Nobel Peace Prize in the award’s history.
Watch Ressa when she learns she won the award:
Watch her remarks soon after:
Join Maria on October 20 at this year’s virtual Fourth Estate Gala, honoring the 2021 winners of the press freedom, investigative journalism, and Fourth Estate awards. Purchase your ticket now.
Watch Maria accept the 2020 John Aubuchon Press Freedom award from the National Press Club: