Inside the room where the Nobel Peace Prize is decidedPublished at 08:58 BST
Mark Loving
bbc news
Image source, Liam Weir/BBCPicture description,
Chairman Jorgen Watne Frydnes (right) told Mark Lowen the committee was always inundated with people suggesting who should win
They have met in secret every year since 1901, neither revealing when they deliberated nor allowing reporters to see their last meeting — until now.
Members of the Nobel Committee – the guardians of the world's most prestigious awards – will soon announce who will receive this year's Nobel Peace Prize. The BBC and Norway's national broadcaster were given access as they came together to make their selections. This is the first time in the awards' 125-year history that the media has been given a behind-the-scenes look at the awards process.
“We discuss, we argue, the temperature is high,” committee chairman Jorgen Watne Frydnes told me. “Of course we are also civil and we try to make consensus-based decisions every year.”
The Norwegian Council is appointed by the country's parliament, and while its members, often retired MPs, fiercely defend their independence, many also hold strident views.
This year could be overshadowed by White House campaign
But if Donald Trump wants to know what goes on behind committee doors, who nominated him, and who his opponents are, he's going to have a problem – the documents have been kept secret for 50 years.
You can read more about what happened in the room here.