THE ridiculously funny—yet sickening—report that greeted the country’s journalism profession last week was the announcement that Maria Ressa, founder of online news site, ‘Rappler,’ was awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize, along with Russian journalist, Dmitry Andreyevich Muratov, founder of ‘Novaja Gazeta.’

The Nobel Prize was a legacy left behind by Alfred Nobel, who became rich after inventing, among others, the dynamite in 1867 and perfecting one of the world’s most accurate (and therefore, deadly) artillery pieces, the ‘Bofors’ cannon.

Described during his lifetime as a ‘Merchant of Death’ for his inventions that focused on mass killings during armed conflicts, Nobel decided to bequeath his wealth on his death to the founding of an award body that would highlight human excellence and the greatness of the human spirit and intellect in various fields of research and endeavors and in the promotion of world peace. In short, Nobel wanted to leave behind a “better” legacy other than being remembered as a “killer” and a “murderer.”

Well, Alfred Nobel is long dead– he died in December 1896. And as such, he no longer has any control as to how his desire for a deodorized “legacy” would be interpreted by those appointed by the Norwegian Parliament to compose the Nobel Prize Committee.

Now if the present committee sincerely believes it is being faithful to Nobel’s wishes in awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to someone like Ressa, he must have been turning on his grave by now.

We don’t know much about Muratov—he probably deserves the award anyway although the “justifications” used by the Nobel Prize committee as to why he and Ressa became the recipients points to the conclusion that contrary to what Nobel wanted, his legacy has just been used to advance the political aims of the West against leaders they find it hard to agree with—Pres. Vladimir Putin of Russia and Pres. Rodrigo Duterte, as pointed out by respected Filipino journalist, Rigoberto Tiglao, in his column at the Manila Times last October 11, 2021.

More telling, Tiglao is right in saying that Ressa getting the Nobel Peace Prize is a result of US Imperialism’s “manipulation” of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Surely, in US Imperialism’s scheme of things, Ressa and her Rappler have been designated to play a major role in the coercion of the Philippine government, the next administration in particular, to follow the wishes of Western Imperialism.

And yes, F. Sionil Jose, Ramon Magsaysay awardee for journalism, in his social media post last October 9, 2021, also distilled the majority opinion of any self-respecting Filipino journalist when he stated that Ressa “does not deserve the Nobel.”

For why should someone who is never ashamed to show her puppetry and subservience to Western interests, never denied that she is an American citizen, while at the same time callous in her treatment of the rule of law and the Constitution when she admitted Rappler is being funded by foreigners in violation of the law, be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize?

Well, as the Nobel press statement puts it, Ressa was awarded over Rappler’s “critical attention on the Duterte regime’s controversial, murderous anti-drug campaign.”

Duh. Responsible journalists here know that the government’s ‘War on Drugs’ became “controversial” because of Rappler’s persistent but erroneous reportage of the issue, especially on the number of its victims. But heck, it is the type of reports—truth distorted and mangled– that Western Imperialism wanted to read and hear. And with that, she gets awarded.

If subservience and truth-bending is now the standard by which journalists are to be recognized in the world stage, we say, thank you, but no.