Journalists Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov have won the Nobel Peace Prize for their fights to defend freedom of expression in the Philippines and Russia, the BBC reports.

The Nobel committee called the pair "representatives of all journalists who stand up for this ideal". The editors are known for hard-hitting investigations that have angered their countries' rulers, and both have faced significant threats. They were chosen out of 329 candidates.

Ressa, who co-founded the news site Rappler, was commended for using freedom of expression to "expose abuse of power, use of violence and growing authoritarianism in her native country, the Philippines".

The award-winning journalist was convicted last year of libel in a case seen as a test of the country's press freedom. In a live broadcast by Rappler, Ressa said she was "in shock". She said her win showed that "nothing is possible without facts... a world without facts means a world without truth and trust".

The Nobel committee said Muratov, the co-founder and editor of independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, had for decades defended freedom of speech in Russia under increasingly challenging conditions.

Several Novaya Gazeta reporters have been murdered because of their work, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

In an interview with the popular Telegram channel Podyom, Muratov said: "I'm laughing. I didn't expect this at all. It's madness here."

He called the prize "retribution for Russian journalism which is being repressed now".

The editor was congratulated by Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, who said: "He persistently works in accordance with his own ideals, he is devoted to them, he is talented, he is brave."