In the battle between truth and lies, we must protect the world's journalists | Joel Simon

The first Nobel peace prize for journalists since 1935 shouldn't obscure the fact that record numbers are in prison, facing intimidation or murder

Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov, the first journalists to receive the Nobel peace prize since 1935, share a belief that the world is engaged in an existential battle for truth and against lies. Speaking at Friday's Nobel prize ceremony, Muratov noted simply, the world has fallen out of love with democracy".

He remembered his fallen colleagues - the six journalists murdered from Novaya Gazeta, the Moscow-based newspaper that Muratov has edited for 25 years - and asked the audience to stand to stand in solidarity with the journalists of the Philippines, who have given their lives for this profession".

Joel Simon is the executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists