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Nobel Prize
Opinion
David Dodwell
David Dodwell

Outside In | Nobel Peace Prize welcome recognition of good journalism’s indispensable role in society

  • The award to two champions of a free press is a chance to pause and think about what makes good journalism and the essential skills journalists need
  • Clarity, concision and scepticism are crucial at a time of widespread ‘fake news’ and growing distrust of institutions and expertise

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Maria Ressa (left), co-founder and CEO of Philippines-based news website Rappler, and Dmitry Muratov, editor-in-chief of Russia’s main opposition newspaper Novaya Gazeta, received the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to uphold freedom of the press. Photo: AFP/TNS
David Dodwell
The decision to award the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize to two journalists no doubt brought satisfaction to many of us hacks around the world. At a time when fake news and social media have brought acute stress and challenges to our profession, it was gratifying to see best practices recognised.
It also provided pause for thought. What is it that makes trusted, well-researched journalism so indispensable? What sets the best journalism apart? Maria Ressa at Rappler in the Philippines and Russia’s Dmitry Muratov, founder of the bravely independent Novaya Gazeta, provide fine examples.

I would have liked to see Eliot Higgins at Bellingcat recognised among them, not just for his courage and relentless creativity in pinning down the truth but for his innovative and profoundly democratic methods of crowdsourcing journalistic research. But you can’t have everything.

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Ressa and Muratov stand as clear icons of courage and integrity “for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace”, said Berit Reiss-Andersen, chairwoman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee. “They are representatives of all journalists who stand up for this ideal in a world in which democracy and freedom of the press face increasingly adverse conditions.”

But journalism is about more than defence of free speech, important as this is. I still boil when I hear passionate, opinionated activists insist they “have a right to their opinion” without at the same time recognising their responsibility to ensure those opinions are based in fact.

02:01

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