In 2021, two journalists, Dmitry Muratov from Russia and Maria Ressa from the Philippines, won the Nobel Peace Prize. They got this award for standing up for the truth and freedom of the press in their countries, which authoritarian leaders rule.
Since Vladimir Putin, the leader of Russia, has been in power, six journalists have died, including Anna Politkovskaya, in 2006, on Putin’s birthday.
Dmitry Muratov was the editor of a Russian newspaper called Novaya Gazeta. This paper was known for not being afraid to criticize the government.
Shortly after Anna Politkovskaya’s murder, Putin threatened to arrest Muratov’s staff. Soon after that, Muratov moved its operation out of Russia.
The Russian government also called Muratov a “foreign agent,” which made it hard for anyone in Russia to work with him. And, of course, that doesn’t make sense since he’s Russian.
Maria Ressa, who grew up in New Jersey and went to Princeton, used to work for CNN. Then, she started her own news company in the Philippines called Rappler.
When Rodrigo Duterte became the leader of the Philippines, he had Ressa arrested and faced several charges. Like Muratov, she kept fighting for the truth even after winning the Nobel Prize.
Other Countries
Leaders in other countries, like Argentina and Brazil, don’t like the media if it doesn’t say good things about them. They try to control what the news says and sometimes even shut down newspapers or TV stations that criticize them. This all falls under the characteristics of fascism.
Former President Donald Trump had a tough time with the media in the United States. He called them “the enemy of the people” and wanted to investigate some news channels. His advisors and some influential people in the government also tried to punish groups that criticized him. And he’s still at it.
Journalists like Muratov and Ressa are for keeping leaders honest and protecting freedom of the press and speech. Leaders in many countries are trying to stop the media from telling the truth.
This is what authoritarian leaders do.
Source: Summarized from Rachel Maddow Highlights (11/20/2023)