Journalists from the Philippines, Russia win the Nobel Peace Prize

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In this March 29, 2019 file photo, Rappler CEO and Executive Editor Maria Ressa talks to reporters after posting bail at the Pasig Regional Trial Court, metropolitan Manila, Philippines. On Friday, Oct. 8, 2021 the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to journalists Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov for the fight for freedom of expression in the Philippines and in Russia.

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Aaron Favila/AP

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Ressa in 2012 co-founded Rappler, a news website that has focused «critical attention on the (President Rodrigo) Duterte regime’s controversial, murderous anti-drug campaign,» the Nobel committee said.

She and Rappler «have also documented how social media is being used to spread fake news, harass opponents and manipulate public discourse.»

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In this Oct. 7, 2021 file photo, Novaya Gazeta editor Dmitry Muratov speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the Novaya Gazeta newspaper, in Moscow, Russia.

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In this Oct. 7, 2021 file photo, Novaya Gazeta editor Dmitry Muratov speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the Novaya Gazeta newspaper, in Moscow, Russia.

Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP

Muratov was one of the founders of the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta in 1993.

«Novaya Gazeta is the most independent newspaper in Russia today, with a fundamentally critical attitude towards power,» the Nobel committee said.

«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,» it added.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov congratulated Muratov on winning the prize, hailing him as a «talented and brave» person.

«We can congratulate Dmitry Muratov — he has consistently worked in accordance with his ideals, he has adhered to his ideals, he’s talented and brave. It’s a high appraisal and we congratulate him,» Peskov said in a conference call with reporters after the prize was announced.

The prestigious award is accompanied by a gold medal and 10 million Swedish kronor (over $1.14 million). The prize money comes from a bequest left by the prize’s creator, Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel, who died in 1895.

On Monday, the Nobel Committee awarded the prize in physiology or medicine to Americans David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian for their discoveries into how the human body perceives temperature and touch.

The Nobel Prize in physics was awarded Tuesday to three scientists whose work found order in seeming disorder, helping to explain and predict complex forces of nature, including expanding our understanding of climate change.

Benjamin List and David W.C. MacMillan were named as laureates of the Nobel Prize for chemistry Wednesday for finding an easier and environmentally cleaner way to build molecules that can be used to make compounds, including medicines and pesticides.

The Nobel Prize for literature was awarded Thursday to U.K.-based Tanzanian writer Abdulrazak Gurnah, who was recognized for his «uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fate of the refugee.»

Still to come Monday is the prize for outstanding work in the field economics.

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• Dmitry Muratov
• maria ressa
• journalists
• Nobel Peace Prize