Calling truth as the “first casualty of war,” a Norwegian parliamentarian on Thursday announced that she is nominating “fact-checkers” for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Trine Skei Grande, a former leader of Norway’s Liberal Party, announced the nomination on Twitter and said, “We live in a time when fighting lies is so important that @JoeBiden mentioned it in his speech yesterday.”
“This year, I have nominated fact-checkers for the Nobel Peace Prize. They need our support,” Grande added.
«I krig er sannheten første offer»
Og vi lever i en tid der bekjempelse av løgner er så viktig, at @JoeBiden nevne det i talen sin i går
Jeg har i år nominert faktasjekkerne til Nobels fredspris. De trenger vår støtte.
@Venstre https://t.co/xwJTwsZ2Xc— Trine Skei Grande (@Trinesg) January 21, 2021
Skei specifically nominated the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) – which NewsMobile is a part of – for the Nobel Peace Prize.
As the International Fact-Checking Network (@factchecknet), we are honored by this nomination, Ms. @Trinesg. Thank you for acknowledging that facts matter and fact-checking can save lives.
Here is our statement. 👉 https://t.co/83nq1dLWB6 https://t.co/SjdWGa4bI5
— International Fact-Checking Network (@factchecknet) January 21, 2021
Baybars Örsek, Director of the International Fact-Checking Network, took to Twitter to thank Skei Grande for the nomination.
“The fact-checking community and the International Fact-Checking Network (@factchecknet) are grateful for this nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. This nomination tells so much about the importance of truth and it’s weight in our discourse. Thank you, @Trinesg!”
The fact-checking community and the International Fact-Checking Network (@factchecknet) are grateful for this nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize.
This nomination tells so much about the importance of truth and it’s weight in our discourse.
Thank you, @Trinesg! https://t.co/hMO2mMvVJk
— Baybars Örsek (@baybarsorsek) January 21, 2021
While commending the work done by global fact-checkers, Saurabh Shukla, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of NewsMobile said, “It is a matter of pride for the entire fact-checking community and our team at NewsMobile that IFCN, the global body of fact-checkers, has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Misinformation and fake news is the biggest Global scourge that the world is fighting against and IFCN and its Global fact-checkers have done an outstanding job against all odds.”
IFCN is a unit of the Poynter Institute dedicated to bringing together fact-checkers worldwide. The IFCN was launched in September 2015 to support a booming crop of fact-checking initiatives by promoting best practices and exchanges in this field, according to their website.
Watch NewsMobile Editor-in-Chief Saurabh Shukla In Conversation With IFCN Director Baybars Örsek
Watch NewsMobile Editor-in-Chief Saurabh Shukla In Conversation With IFCN Associate Director Cristina Tardáguila
Notably, tens of thousands of people, including parliamentarians and ministers from all countries, former laureates and some university professors, are eligible for submitting a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. All valid nominations sent before the January 31 deadline are accepted by the Nobel Institute in Oslo.
The winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for the year 2021 will be announced in early October this year.