愛污传媒

Skip to main content

Nobel Peace Prize winners call for journalist protections

Nobel Peace Prize winners Dmitry Muratov from Russia and Maria Ressa of the Philippines pose with their awards during the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony at Oslo City Hall, Norway, Friday, Dec. 10, 2021. The Norwegian Nobel Committee cited Ressa and Muratov's fight for freedom of expression, stressing that it is vital in promoting peace. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko) Nobel Peace Prize winners Dmitry Muratov from Russia and Maria Ressa of the Philippines pose with their awards during the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony at Oslo City Hall, Norway, Friday, Dec. 10, 2021. The Norwegian Nobel Committee cited Ressa and Muratov's fight for freedom of expression, stressing that it is vital in promoting peace. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Share
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK -

The two journalists who shared this year's Nobel Peace Prize received their awards Friday during a pomp-filled ceremony in Norway, with both warning that the world needs independent reporting to counter the power of authoritarian governments.

Maria Ressa of the Philippines and fellow laureate Dmitry Muratov of Russia gave their Nobel lectures at Oslo City Hall.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded them the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for their separate fights for freedom of expression in countries where reporters have faced persistent attacks, harassment and killings.

"Yes, we growl and bite. Yes, we have sharp teeth and strong grip," Muratov said of journalists. "But we are the prerequisite for progress. We are the antidote against tyranny."

Muratov also used his speech to give a dire warning about the potential for a war between Russia and Ukraine. A massive Russian troop buildup near Ukraine's border has led to Western diplomatic efforts to prevent an invasion, which the Kremlin has denied it is planning.

"In (the) heads of some crazy geopoliticians, a war between Russia and Ukraine is not something impossible any longer. But I know that wars end with identifying soldiers and exchanging prisoners," Muratov said.

Ressa, 58, co-founded Rappler, a news website critical of the Philippine government, in 2012. Muratov, 59, was one of the founders in 1993 of the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta.

Ressa, the first person from the Philippines to win the Nobel Peace Prize, offered a bleak assessment of the journalism industry, saying "the era of competition for news is dead."

"We need to help independent journalism survive, first by giving greater protection to journalists and standing up against states which target journalists," she told the audience of 200 people, including Norwegian royals and officials who sat with a metre (3 feet) separating them for the pandemic-curtailed ceremony. Normally the Oslo event is attended by 1,000 people.

Ressa, who was visibly moved, couldn't resist taking a selfie with Muratov inside the Oslo City Hall before the arrival of the Norwegian royals.

Together with the medals featuring the effigy of the prizes founder Alfred Nobel and diploma, came 10 million kronor (US$1.1 million) to be shared between them.

Norwegian Nobel Committee chairwoman Berit Reiss-Andersen said free speech and information are "a basic prerequisite for democracy itself." The laureates "are participants in a war where the written word is their weapon, where truth is their goal and every exposure of misuse of power is a victory."

Muratov said that in Russia, journalism "is going through a dark valley" with many reporters and human rights activists being branded as "foreign agents."

"Many of our colleagues have lost their jobs. Some have to leave the country. Some are deprived of the opportunity to live a normal life for an unknown period of time. Maybe forever."

Muratov ended his lecture by asking the assembly to honor reporters "who have given their lives for this profession, with a minute of silence. I want journalists to die old."

On Thursday, the Brussels-based International Federation of Journalists said that imprisonments of media workers are on the rise, with 365 journalists behind bars compared with 235 last year. Nine journalists have been killed in the line of duty in Afghanistan alone and 102 imprisoned in China.

Russia still has 12 journalists behind bars, and three reporters were killed in the Philippines, it said.

David Beasley, head of the World Food Program that won the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize, also gave a lecture in Oslo and called on world leaders "to assert your power and stop all of these horrible wars." Beasley was given the award last year at a ceremony in Rome, due to the pandemic.

He said that the combination of conflict, climate and COVID "has created an unprecedented perfect storm," adding "45 million in 43 countries are knocking on famine's door-- and it is within our power to save them."

He also urged billionaires to "give us the $6.6 billion we need to prevent famine now and save 45 million lives now," and said they "know how to revolutionize phones, cars, rockets, and retail. Help us revolutionize how the planet eats."

Ceremonies honoring all of the newest Nobel laureates are usually held in Oslo and Sweden's capital, Stockholm, on Dec. 10, the anniversary of prize founder Alfred Nobel's death.

However, due to the pandemic, the awards in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and economics were presented during ceremonies in the laureates' hometowns.

Later Friday, a ceremony is planned in Stockholm. Speeches by Nobel officials will be interwoven with the ceremonial presentations. A local audience is scheduled, including Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustav and other members of the royal family.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

The president and CEO of New Brunswick-based Covered Bridge Potato Chips is taking an 'extended leave of absence' after being charged with domestic violence this past weekend.

A memorial is growing outside a Walmart in Halifax after a 19-year-old employee was found dead inside an oven in the store Saturday night.

A search has started at Prairie Green Landfill for the remains of two victims of a serial killer.

He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

Canada's discount airline is suspending operations to and from Saskatoon.

A new report suggests that Canadians' exposure to a radioactive gas is increasing, putting millions of people at a higher risk of developing lung cancer.

Local Spotlight

He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.

Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.

A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.

A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.

A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.

Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.

Looking for a scare with good intentions this Halloween season? The ghosts and ghouls of Eganville, Ont. invite families to tour the Haunted Walk at Lekbor Manor.

The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that 鈥 and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.