Information from Nobel

Goal number 16 of the 2030 Agenda is dedicated to strengthening peace, justice and institutions. It aims to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide universal access to justice, build responsible and effective at all levels. Among the specific goals identified as priorities we read: "To guarantee public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in compliance with national legislation and international agreements". The choice of recipients of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize strongly underlines the importance of this milestone.
The Norwegian committee has in fact awarded the award to Dmitry Muratov and Maria Ressa, two journalists fighting for freedom of information in Russia and the Philippines. The spokesperson for the committee said the recognition goes to their commitment to "safeguarding freedom of speech, a fundamental condition for democracy and peace".

Dmitry Muratov has been defending free speech in Russia for decades and is currently editor of the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, the newspaper for which the famous and talented Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya wrote, killed in 2006 for annoying the powerful. The Novaya Gazeta newspaper has always been an important source of information on events often silenced by other media, concerning corruption, police violence, illegal arrests or the use of Russian military forces. Dmitry dedicated the award to Anna and the other five reporters killed during his management of Novaya Gazeta: "It is not my merit, but dear colleagues who were killed defending the right to free speech".

Maria Ressa, defined by Time as the "guardian of truth", is a Filipino-American journalist, committed to denouncing the abuse of power, the use of violence, corruption and the growing authoritarianism of the Duterte government. Ressa has been repeatedly investigated, denounced and arrested for investigations by the online newspaper Rappler, of which she is one of the founders. Maria Ressa has conducted a series of investigations into the extrajudicial executions ordered by Philippine President Duterte in his campaign against drug dealers and drug addicts. Her criticism has cost her 11 arrests in the past year and a half.

We are used to finding information with a click and being able to express opinions or tell experiences that can be easily shared by a wide audience. The choice of the Nobel Peace Prize to two journalists who fight for freedom of expression calls us on the one hand to be aware that this freedom is not taken for granted in all parts of the world; on the other hand, it helps us to reason on the importance of not only knowing how to find information, but also recognizing its reliability and reading it critically and consciously.


Valentina Turinetto
NP November 2021