The Secretary General of the 47-nation Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, made the
following statement:
“I am delighted that the Nobel Committee has decided to award the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize to journalists Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression.
“Freedom of speech is one of the most basic and cherished values of our continent, as reflected in the European Convention on Human Rights and the case-law of the Strasbourg Court. Protection of journalists is a priority for the Council of Europe.
“15 years after the death of Anna Politkovskaya,
we are especially pleased that the Nobel Committee has recognized the courageous work of Dmitry Muratov and his newspaper,
Novaya Gazeta, in bringing to light serious human rights violations on European soil.”
Dmitry Muratov has for decades defended freedom of speech in Russia under increasingly challenging conditions.
Nobel Peace Prize for 2021 was awarded to two journalist on Friday 8th October for Maria Ressa of the Philippines and Dmitry Muratov of Russia for their work exposing authoritarianism and abuse of power.
The Nobel Peace Prize committee stated that The Nobel Committee said the two are representatives of all journalists “who stand up for this ideal in a world in which democracy and freedom of the press face increasingly adverse
conditions”. It said “freedom of expression and freedom of information help to ensure an
informed public”. “These rights are crucial prerequisites for democracy and protect
against war and conflict. The award of the Nobel Peace Prize to Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov is intended to underscore the importance of protecting and defending these fundamental rights.”
The campaigning Philippines journalist Maria Ressa, who was last week awarded the Nobel peace prize, has launched a stinging attack on Facebook, accusing the social media firm of being a threat to democracy that was “biased
against facts” and failed to prevent the spread of disinformation.
She said its algorithms “prioritise the spread of lies laced with anger and hate over facts”.
Christophe Deloire, secretary general of the non-profit Reporters Without Borders (RSF), called the Prize “an extraordinary tribute to journalism and a mobilisation appeal, because this decade will be absolutely decisive for
journalism”. Deloire said it is a “powerful message at a time when democracies are being undermined by the spread of fake news and hate speech”.
Ressa and Muratov received the prize “for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression”,
the Nobel award committee said in a statement. “Free, independent and fact-based journalism serves to protect against abuse of power, lies and war propaganda,” said Berit ReissAndersen, chair of the committee.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee said that Ressa “uses freedom of expression to expose abuse of power, use of violence and growing authoritarianism in her native country”. Maria Angelita Ressa born on October 2, 196) is a Filipino-American journalist and author, the co-founder and CEO of Rappler 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 convicted last year of libel and sentenced to jail in a decision seen as a major blow to press global freedom. Currently out on bail but facing seven active legal cases, Ressa, 58, said she hopes the award will bolster investigative journalism “that will hold power to account.”
“This relentless campaign of harassment and intimidation against me and my fellow
journalists in the Philippines is a stark example of a global trend,” she told The Associated Press.
She also pointed to social media giants like Facebook as a serious threat to democracy, saying “they actually prioritized the spread of lies laced with anger and hate over facts.”
“I didn’t 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?” she said. “This is going to be what our elections are going to be like next year. It is a battle for facts. When you’re in a battle for facts, journalism is activism.”
Ressa told NDTV in an interview: “We must make sure we keep democracy alive. We do get the democracy we deserve.” Ressa added that “News organisations have lost their gatekeeping powers to technology platforms, which have made facts debatable. I think this [the Nobel] is a recognition of the importance of facts in any shared reality to find solutions.”
Ressa said the Nobel committee has also recognized how difficult it has been to hold those in power accountable. “At the same time, it [the recognition] will give us more energy to craft the years ahead,”
Dmitry Andreyevich Muratov was born on 30, October 1961 is a Russian journalist, television
presenter and the editor-in-chief of the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta.
“Novaja Gazeta’s opponents have responded with harassment, threats, violence and murder.
Since the newspaper’s start, six of its journalists have been killed, including Anna Politkovskaja
who wrote revealing articles on the war in Chechnya. Despite the killings and threats,
editor-in-chief Muratov has refused to abandon the newspaper’s independent policy. He has consistently defended the right of journalists to write anything they want about whatever they want, as long as they comply with the
professional and ethical standards of journalism.”
CONCLUSION:
Being journalist is not a easy task it is both dangerous and Powerful profession. Journalist undergo many challenges, problems , threats.
Example:- The pressure from political officials when the journalists publish the other evil side
about that particular political party being Journalists are physically and mentally attacked. Journalism is a dangerous profession in the all parts of the world were journalists are loosing there life. The International Federation Of Journalism has released new report says that 65 people who work in a media with killed in 2020. Journalist travel from place to place for
magazines hence., journalist to get health issues
As, Above mentioned Resse and Murato Struggled a lot both faced obstacles and threats. Journalist must be given protection,
Journalism work to give accurate needs to people, even though Journalism is a dangerous
Profession “The courage in journalism is sticking up for the unpopular, not the popular.” – Geraldo Rivera

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