BY JOSE PAOLO S. DELA CRUZ
OSLO, NORWAY — Journalist Maria Ressa received the Nobel Peace Prize from Committee Chair Berit Reiss-Andersen, who called the first Filipino Peace laureate “a fearless defender of freedom of expression.”
After receiving her diploma and gold medal alongside Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov, a teary-eyed Ressa proceeded to deliver her Nobel lecture. In her speech, the Rappler president and CEO pointed out the journalist’s role “to bring out the truth and hold power to account.”
In the midst of enumerating the challenges she and Rappler have had to overcome, Ressa reminded everyone to not just hold the line for journalists, but to also continue their search to find good. “In order to be the good, we need to believe that there is good in the world,” she said, while holding up an old t-shirt from Rappler.
Ressa also thanked Rappler’s supporters. “The reason they help despite the danger is because they want to, with little to no expectation of anything in return. This is the best of who we are. The part of our humanity that makes miracles happen. This is what we lose in a world of fear and violence.”
She also mentioned fellow journalists, 23 year-old Frenchie May Cumpio, who still in prison after two years; and colleague Jess Malabanan, who was killed with a bullet to his head a few hours prior to her speech.
Ressa, also posed the question: “What are you willing to sacrifice for the truth?”
Earlier in the evening, Nobel Peace Prize Committee Chair Berit Reiss-Andersen lauded Ressa and Rappler for documenting “how social media is used to spread fake news, harass opponents and manipulate public discourse.”
“Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov are in a war where the written word is their weapon, where truth is their goal, and every exposure of misuse of power is their victory,” she added.
“The destruction has already happened. Now its time to build, create the world we want,” Ressa said near the end of her lecture. She then asked the audience to close their eyes and imagine a world peace.
“Let’s hold the line together,” she ended.
