Journalists Maria Ressa, Dmitry Muratov Win Nobel Peace Prize

Reporters Without Borders welcomed the news with “joy”, and said the win was a “call for mobilization to defend journalism.”

Christophe Deloire, secretary-general of the advocacy group, added, however, that the decision also showed an urgency because "journalism is in danger, journalism is weakened, journalism is threatened... all over the world."

Praise for Muratov

Roman Dobrokhotov, a prominent Russian investigative journalist whose website The Inside was recently declared a “foreign agent” by the Kremlin, called Muratov’s winning of the peace prize “unexpected.”

Dobrokhotov said that the Nobel prize committee wanted to give investigative journalists a “message that they are doing very important work, especially now, when investigative journalists are being persecuted by the government. And that is a moment when this support is especially important and valuable.”

“I think that the fact that now Muratov will not only be a respected figure but also a Nobel Peace Prize winner could give him some additional level of protection,” he added, saying that many other editors-in-chief, including himself, have received “visits” from the police recently.

Igor Kochetkov, founder of the Russian LGBT network credited Novaya Gazeta with the discovery of torture and murder of gay men in the Russian Republic of Chechnya.

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“It was only because of the fact that Novaya Gazeta published this information and carried out their investigation [into what was happening in Chechnya], that we were able to start evacuating people and saving people's lives,” Kochetkov said.

“Without the cooperation with Novaya Gazeta, we couldn't have changed the situation. So it’s hard to overstate the role of Novaya Gazeta,” he added.

How are the recipients chosen?

Each year, the committee permits nominations from a large pool of experts, such as academics, lawmakers, and previous recipients.

The winner is invited to Norway to give a Nobel lecture and receive a monetary prize worth 10 million Swedish kronor (over $1.14 million).

The only prize not handed out in Sweden, the peace prize is awarded to those who have “done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations.”

However, the prize is not without controversy, having been given in the past to individuals who went on to be accused of human rights abuses and war crimes.