Peace Prize winners say future unclear after Nobel win
Muratov, editor-in-chief of Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta and Ressa of the Philippines, co-founder of news site Rappler, were jointly awarded the prize in recognition of their fight for freedom of expression and received their awards at a ceremony at Oslo City Hall on Friday.
"I do not know how receiving the Nobel Prize will turn out for me, for the newspaper. But I understand very well, I told you that every word said after receiving this award has much more weight. So, one needs to think very seriously before using such and influence. But we will try," Muratov told the news conference.
In his address at the ceremony, Muratov said journalism in Russia was going "through a dark valley", with over a hundred journalists, media outlets, human rights defenders and non-governmental organisations having been branded foreign agents.
Ressa said she and Rappler would concentrate on covering the elections in the Philippines next year.
"We're already focused on coverage, on making sure that the facts reach people. You know it's, I call it the 'Avengers assemble moment' you know. Anyone with superpowers, come on, we have to come together. This is, we must protect our democracy. So I'm focused on that," she said.
Ressa and Muratov are the first journalists to receive the Nobel prize since Germany's Carl von Ossietzky won the 1935 award for revealing the Nazis' secret rearmament programme.
