It was a great day for freedom press in the world . The two journalists Maria Ressa and Dmitri Muratov were awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize  in Stockholm on Friday. The Noble Prizes are presented to the winners on December 10 every year in the memory of Alfred Noble.

While speaking on the occasion, Maria Ressa and Dmitri Muratov said the world needs independent journalism to counter authoritarian governments. They received their Noble Peace Prize at Oslo on December 11.

Announcing the prize to the two journalists, the committee said  Maria Ressa and Dmitri Muratov dedicated their careers to fighting for independent journalism. “A great day for freedom of press”.

Accepting the Nobel Peace Prize, Philippine journalist Maria Reza launched a vitriolic attack against American tech giants accusing them of fueling a flood of “toxic sludge” on social media, reported agencies.

In her speech that went viral on social media Maria Ressa said the “toxic sludge” spread faster and further than facts these two American companies controlling our global information ecosystem are biased against facts, biased against journalists and they are by design dividing us and radicalising us”. “ I’ve said this repeatedly over the last five years.  Without facts you can’t have truth, without truth you can’t have trust,  without trust we have no shared reality in our democracy”.

She said it becomes impossible to deal with the existential problems of our times climate change, coronavirus now the battle for truth”.

Dmitri Muratov is founder of Novava Gazeta 2009 IPI free media pioneer. Maria Ressa is CEO of Rappler, 2018 IPI Free media award winner, IPI executive board member.     

She said everyday I live with real threat of spending the rest of my life in jail just because I am a journalist. “When  I go home I have no idea what future holds, but it is worth the risk”.