JUDY WOODRUFF: The Nobel Peace Prizes were awarded today in Oslo, Norway. This year's
winners were two journalists honored for their unrelenting pursuits of truth in a world becoming
less free.
Dmitry Muratov, editor of one of Russia's last independent news sources, was recognized
for his work. And Philippines journalist Maria Ressa, editor of Rappler.com, called for a
reform of social media platforms.
MARIA RESSA, CEO, Rappler: Our greatest need today is to transform that hate and violence,
the toxic sludge that's coursing through our information ecosystem, prioritized by American
Internet companies that make more money by spreading that hate and triggering the worst
in us.
JUDY WOODRUFF: I spoke with Maria Ressa last night, and I asked her if it felt at all real
yet.
(LAUGHTER)
MARIA RESSA: Oh, I still do -- you know that painting The Scream? That still -- it's been
more than a month, and not yet. It's sinking in slowly.
But having to write a Nobel lecture makes you really think about this.
JUDY WOODRUFF: What does it mean to you personally, first of all?
MARIA RESSA: Judy, you know that we have been under attack by our government for the last
five years.
And having the Nobel Committee shine the light on what journalists are going through in the
Philippines, I mean, personally, it's a lift. You know, it feels like a little bit of a
reprieve. And, hopefully, I can pay it forward.
I think journalists in the Philippines felt this, and Filipinos, as we move into our May
2022 elections.
JUDY WOODRUFF: What do you think this is going to mean for the people of the Philippines,
but for government officials? Because they have hauled you into court time and again.
They have charged you with libel.
You had to get, what, permission from four different courts even to travel to Oslo.
MARIA RESSA: Look, I think the conditions haven't changed yet.
Just yesterday, a former colleague was shot, hit with a bullet to the head. But, also,
beyond that, a Cabinet secretary just said he would file a legal complaint against seven
news organizations, and all we did was report on the corruption charges against him. That
was said in a press conference.
JUDY WOODRUFF: There's an election coming up in the Philippines. Do you think that provides
hope of change from the current Duterte regime?
MARIA RESSA: It feels like 1986 all over again, because it is a Marcos against a woman.
You know, our top opposition leader is the vice president, Leni Robredo. And Ferdinand
Marcos Jr. is the front-runner for president. And he filed this candidacy 35 years after
his family and his father were kicked out, ousted in a People Power Revolt.
So, who knows what will happen in our May elections. One thing is clear is that this
-- you cannot have integrity of elections if you don't have integrity of facts. And
that is something all of us, all democracies around the world face.
JUDY WOODRUFF: What more, Maria, do you think needs to be done to support journalists, to
support freedom of the press, especially as we see more and more governments around the
world sliding toward authoritarianism?
MARIA RESSA: I think the accelerant for the attacks against journalists is technology.
And part of the reason that these authoritarian, populist-style leaders have gained power all
around the world has been because the information ecosystem, the gatekeepers have changed from
news organizations to technology, to social media platforms.
So, I think the first step is regulation. We have to stop the impunity that social media
actually prioritizes over news, over facts. And then the second thing is, we have to help
independent media survive. The world has gotten significantly more dangerous, I'd say exponentially
more dangerous, for journalists just trying to do their jobs.
JUDY WOODRUFF: I was looking at the Committee to Protect Journalists.
They have put out a -- in their last report, 1, 421 journalists from around the world killed
since 1992, 293 imprisoned for their work. But you keep urging journalists to stay with
it. What's at stake here?
MARIA RESSA: Truth, facts, our democracy, right?
I always say that what has wound up happening is technology, social media has prioritized
the spread of lies, laced with anger and hate, over facts. So, if you don't have facts, you
can't have truth. If you don't have truth, you can't have trust.
JUDY WOODRUFF: When ordinary citizens ask, why does this -- why should this matter for
me, what do you say to them?
MARIA RESSA: Well, if you're on social media, if you're on the American social media platforms,
you are being insidiously manipulated.
You have these algorithms of distribution, algorithms of bias. The editorial judgment
of these tech platforms are actually done exponentially, and it's -- the prioritization
is lies over facts.
JUDY WOODRUFF: So when this prize is awarded to you, and you go back home to the Philippines,
what do you think the prospects are that you're going to be able to remain free?
MARIA RESSA: I don't know.
You know, the future for me is -- I don't know what it will bring. I do know that I
face 10 criminal charges, which could lead to about 100 years in prison. And it's almost
like a high-stakes game of chicken, because I know I am innocent. I know these are trumped-up
charges.
And I will fight them in court. My ability to do that will depend on what happens during
our elections, whether our judges stay to the spirit of the law. But I also think it's
a time that matters. I think it's a risk worth taking. I couldn't do anything else.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Maria Ressa, being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, we congratulate you.
Thank you so much.
MARIA RESSA: Thank you, Judy.