A webinar on journalism today turned euphoric with celebration when Maria Ressa, the chief executive officer of Philippines-based media portal Rappler, was informed that she had won the Nobel Peace Prize.
Ressa was speaking at the webinar when the announcement was made by the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
She made history as the first independent Filipino to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, which she won together with another journalist, Dmitry Muratov, who heads the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta.
A visibly-shocked Ressa thanked the Nobel committee for the award, as webinar participants applauded.
She said the award was a huge recognition by the Nobel committee of the current challenges facing journalists in their pursuit for fact and truth.
“This is for all of us. I think this is a recognition of how tough it is to be a journalist today, how hard it is to keep doing what we do.
“This win will motivate journalists in their battle for truth and facts”, said Ressa at the webinar co-hosted by FreedomFilmFest and the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ).
Ressa co-founded Rappler, a digital media company for investigative journalism in 2012 which she still heads.
Under her leadership, Rappler had been critical of Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte’s controversial and deadly anti-drug campaign that has claimed thousands of lives.
Ressa, a former CNN bureau chief and TIME Person of the Year, has also been engulfed in legal battles, which she said were because of her news site’s critical reports on Duterte.
Ressa and Rappler have also documented how social media is being weaponised to spread fake news, harass opponents of regimes and manipulate public discourse.
Source: Free Malaysia Today
