[FEATURE] Why Maria Ressa’s Nobel Price is important not just for the Philippines but to Journalists around the world?
Written by Ronan Cayabyab
On the evening of October 8, 2021, the Philippines witnessed another win that is being overlooked now that the elections are coming up. Rappler CEO and Journalist Maria Ressa became the first Filipina recipient of the coveted Nobel Peace Prize, an award given to those “who have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.” Along with fellow Journalist Dmitry Muratov of Russia, she also became the first journalist to be given a Nobel Peace Prize since 1935, where the last journalist given died under Nazi rule.
READ: Rappler’s Maria Ressa, Dmitry Muratov win 2021 Nobel Peace Prize | by Rappler
When the news first came out, Filipino netizens were divided. Some were praising Ressa for the award, citing her efforts in combating misinformation in the Philippines through her news website Rappler, while others didn’t like the news at all, primarily due to opinions regarding politics. Whatever the case, it is still a monumental achievement for the country and something that we should be proud of. But why?
The Nobel Peace Prize has a set standard on how they choose laureates for their Prize. Among the nominators are professors from different academic fields, heads of state, and even former laureates. Ressa was one of 329 laureate candidates and was nominated by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. According to the Norwegian Nobel Prize Committee (NNC), she and Muratov became laureates of the prize “for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace.”
The NNC awarding the prize to two journalists makes sense, especially in today’s context. Both Ressa and Muratov are known for their journalistic work in countries led by presidents who threaten outlets that go against the status quo of their government. Muratov’s newspaper, the Novaya Gazeta, works a lot like Ressa’s Rappler. Since its founding, the newspaper has been critical of Russian governance and has done investigations towards claims of corruption, and recently, Russian troll farms.
WATCH: 2021 Nobel Peace Prize Awarded to Journalists Maria Ressa & Dmitry Muratov — United Nations chief | United Nations
In recent history, Social Media has become a tool in spreading false information and propaganda rapidly and effectively, thanks to computer algorithms that adjust their content to your tastes. If you follow one particular thing on a website, the website will recommend similar posts. While the basis of algorithms providing you with posts you want to see or videos you want to watch is good in theory, the system has been weaponized by troll farms and the politically driven, especially on Facebook.
This kind of phenomenon has been happening since 2016 when seemingly out of nowhere, dozens upon dozens of patriotic pages praising Duterte started taking over Philippine Facebook. From there, Facebook’s algorithm would start doing its thing. If one were to follow a pro-Duterte page, Facebook would then show similar pages. Once the election season passed, the algorithm continued to show pro-Duterte propaganda on various people’s feeds, thus creating echo chambers where the only “truth” inside these chambers is what the people inside want to hear. This didn’t happen just in the Philippines. Propaganda and false information were also a big reason why the January 9 siege on the US Capitol happened. Then, Donald Trump, vying for a second term in the White House, falsely claimed that he won the election and claimed that the election was rigged. He then told his supporters to gather at the Capitol to protest, but it ended in an insurrection.
Facebook was scrutinized for the way it ran its algorithm, among other things, in the past. And this year, the company is about to face a US Congress hearing because of it. The prevalence of propaganda with false information, coupled with how easy it is to rig computer algorithms in your favor, has caused a sort of “War on Truth” where fake news overpowers truthful ones.
What does this mean for the Philippines?
Historically, the Government of the Philippines has not been kind to journalists. During Ferdinand Marcos’ declaration of Martial Law in 1972, 464 media outlets were closed under the pretense of spreading Communist propaganda. And after Marcos was overthrown and democracy was restored in the country, 52 journalists were killed between 1986 and 2005. Most recently, the Duterte administration has doubled down on its attack on journalism and press freedom. Famously, ABS-CBN was not given a renewed franchise under the pretense that it was not paying its taxes, a claim proven to be false by the BIR themselves.
Ressa’s Rappler was also under fire from the Duterte administration in the past, in the form of a cyber libel case where Ressa was reportedly found guilty. With Ressa receiving the prize, it means that, despite the criticisms done by the government, Rappler’s efforts to combat misinformation and provide truthful content to the Filipinos are still being recognized. It means that journalists shouldn’t be afraid to speak their voice when it comes to the truth. It can serve as inspiration to continue doing their hard work serving the public. The government can do whatever it can to silence journalism, but the truth still prevails in the end.
Sadly, the international climate towards journalism is not as kind as it is in the Philippines. Many countries across the Earth do not have the Right to Free Press. Among these countries is Saudi Arabia. For as much wealth Saudi has, the way it rules its people is restrictive. In 2018, a journalist named Jamal Khashoggi was assassinated in Istanbul, Turkey, by Saudi Arabian agents over his views on Saudi Arabian governance. He believed that women should be equal to men, that free speech is important, and wanted secularism in Saudi. The CIA reports that Mohammed bin Salman, the prince of Saudi, had ordered the assassination.
As society progresses and we become more connected than we have ever been, we rely even more on news sources to keep in touch with the world around us. But with journalists worldwide facing scrutiny for simply doing their jobs, it can be difficult to work in such a field. Ressa and Muratov winning the Nobel Peace Prize shows that there is still hope for the profession of journalism and the propagation of the truth.
OPINION
Politics can be messy. It can be hard to spot what is right from wrong, especially in today’s age. With journalism, you can spot the truth more easily because the facts are already there. But those in control will try to sway the narrative in their favor. The Peace Prize award demonstrates how journalists are still respected worldwide, despite the criticisms they face. We applaud their efforts in safeguarding the truth.
THE AUTHOR
A guy with a lot of imagination.
Hello! My name’s Ronan Elijah Cayabyab, I’m a Feature Writer, and aside from writing long things, I like to listen to a lot of music, read interesting books, and make silly videos. I describe myself as a writer that puts truth first and foremost. I also tend to make my articles longer than they’re supposed to. Tigercubs is important to me as it lets me write interesting stories about modern-day topics. My goal is to have anyone who reads my work understand the world around them.
