Filipino-American journalist Maria Ressa will receive this year's Nobel Peace Prize, together with Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov, according to an announcement by the Norwegian Nobel Committee on October 8. The committee said the two were receiving the award "for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace." The announcement can be viewed at nobelprize.org.

Before leading the Filipino news website Rappler, Ressa had been an investigative reporter for CNN in the Philippines for almost 20 years, CNN reported.

"In less than two years, I've had ten arrest warrants against me," she told the news network. CNN quoted her as saying the current government had been much more hostile to journalists than even the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos had been.

Facebook is 'biased against facts'

In an interview with Reuters, Ressa said that Facebook's algorithms were "biased against facts" and had given priority to the spreading of dishonest reports. Reuters noted that pro-government forces had carried out campaigns against Ressa on social media in the Philippines.

'A symbol of courage'

Writing in an opinion piece for The Guardian, Filipino journalist Rachel Obordo called Ressa "a symbol of courage" in the nation where "innumerable" people had been affected by extrajudicial killings.

The violence was a result of President Rodrigo Duterte's campaign against drugs, she said. "Nearly every Filipino can tell you a story of how someone has been attacked, killed, or kidnapped in front of them, often in a case of mistaken identity," Obordo said.

Born in Manila, raised in New Jersey

Time.com noted that Ressa was a native of Manila who had grown up in New Jersey.

NPR recalled that she had returned to the Philippines after graduating from Princeton University in 1986. The public broadcaster said Ressa had been one of the co-founders of Rappler in 2012. The Daily Princetonian quoted Joe Stephens, the university's journalism program director, as saying, "Maria is honestly the bravest woman I know."

Investigative reporting in Russia

Dmitry Muratov is the editor of Novaya Gazeta, "Russia's leading investigative newspaper," according to the Moscow Times.

Muratov's newspaper had established a reputation for uncovering violations of human rights, the Moscow Times said. NPR noted that six journalists at Novaya Gazeta had been murdered because of their work. NPR quoted Muratov as saying the Nobel Peace Prize was an "acknowledgment of the memory of our lost colleagues."

In the 126-year history of the Nobel Peace Prize, Ressa was the 18th woman to receive the honor.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED