The Price of Truth

How far would you go to defend the idea of a free press? Russia’s only independent newspaper and its editor fight for democracy.

In 2021, Novaya Gazeta editor Dmitry Muratov was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Three months later, Russia invaded Ukraine. Muratov announced he would auction his Nobel medal and donate the proceeds to Ukrainian refugees. Days later, a masked attacker poured paint laced with acetone over him, permanently damaging Muratov’s sight. The auction went ahead regardless, raising $103 million. Even though six Novaya Gazeta journalists, including Anna Politkovskaya, have previously been murdered, Muratov continues to use his position to attack the Putin regime. Patrick Forbes’ searching documentary is a powerful and often suspenseful portrait of an extraordinary individual whose life and work embodies the importance of free speech and how essential the fourth estate is to the foundations of democracy.