The 2021 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to two fighters for a free press: Maria Ressa of the Philippines and Dmitry Muratov of Russia. The Norwegian Nobel Committee cited their fight for freedom of expression, stressing that it is vital in promoting peace.
“Free, independent and fact-based journalism serves to protect against abuse of power, lies and war propaganda,” said Berit Reiss-Andersen, chair of the committee.
The fact that the Nobel committee honored two journalists — Ressa, the CEO of Filipino news site Rappler, and Muratov, the former editor of independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta — seems intended to underscore the necessity of freedom of expression to functioning democracies, in a year marked by increased weaponization of social media and attacks on journalists pursuing truth. According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF) 2021 World Press Freedom Index, the situation for press freedom is “difficult or very serious” in 73% of the 180 countries it evaluates, and “good or satisfactory” in only 27%.
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Earlier this year, literary and human rights organization PEN America warned that repressive governments are ramping up efforts to censor, surveil, and punish dissenters under the guise of “digital sovereignty.” Examples include the Indian government forcing Twitter and Facebook in April to remove posts critical of its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Nigerian government banning Twitter in June after the platform removed a post from President Muhammadu Buhari which critics say revived civil war sentiments.
In a phone interview, Director of International Campaigns for Reporters Without Borders, Rebecca Vincent, said she thought the Committee’s decision to award journalists fighting for press freedoms was “strategic.”
“The global situation for press freedom is more challenging than ever before,” she said. “The Committee recognized what we at Reporters Without Borders believe, which is that safeguarding of…
Source : time
