Reporters Without Borders

Reporters Without Borders or RSF (French: Reporters sans frontières) is an international non-governmental, non-profit organization of French, with permanent headquarters in Paris. Its objective is to defend the freedom of the press in the world and, specifically, journalists persecuted for their professional activity. This defense is based on the belief that everyone needs to have access to news and information, which it is in line with article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. RSF also has consultative status with the United Nations (UN), UNESCO, the Council of Europe and the International Organization of la Francophonie.

History

RSF was founded in Montpellier (France) in 1985 by four journalists: Robert Ménard, Rémy Loury, Jacques Molénat and Émilien Jubineau. The name was inspired by other organizations such as Doctors Without Borders. In 1995 it was registered as a non-profit organization. Ménard was RSF's first secretary general, a position he held until 2008. He was succeeded by Jean-Francois Julliard and Christophe Deloire, currently in office. Since June 2017 its president is Pierre Haski.

In 2005, Reporters Without Borders received the Sakharov Prize for freedom of conscience awarded by the European Parliament, shared with the Ladies in White movement and Nigerian lawyer Hauwa Ibrahim.

RSF is a member of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX), a global network of associations in defense of freedom of expression.

Structure

RSF's headquarters are in Paris and it reports to 8 offices located in Rio de Janeiro, London, Tunis, Washington DC, Brussels, San Francisco, Dakar and Taipei. In addition, there are 6 national sections, located in Germany, Austria, Spain, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland, independent organizations that work autonomously, but in close collaboration with Paris. This network is also joined by 150 correspondents based all over the world.

The Board of Directors, elected from among RSF members, approves the organization's policies and an International Council oversees the organization's activities, as well as approving the accounts and budgets.

RSF Spain

The Spanish Section of RSF was born in 1995 with the same mission and characteristics as RSF International. It has its own organizational structure, has been declared "of public utility" and has the support of hundreds of partners.

RSF Spain proclaims itself as an organization open to the whole of society, so that any citizen committed to freedom of information can defend their values as a member of RSF.

Among the activities of the Spanish Section are the publication of the Annual Report on Freedom of the Press in the World; the campaign "The voice of..." in support of imprisoned journalists; the dissemination of news on the web and various supporting reports, as well as the denunciation of acts of censorship and attacks on the media and journalists in Spain.

In addition, given its close relationship with Latin America, RSF Spain has promoted the Temporary Reception Program for Persecuted Journalists in Latin America, a humanitarian action project financed by the Madrid City Council. In 2022 it celebrates its V edition, offering threatened journalists the chance to get away for three months from a high-stress context, providing them with accommodation, food and the chance to expand their professional skills.

RSF Spain is currently chaired by Alfonso Bauluz, a journalist for Agencia EFE, although his predecessor, also a journalist Alfonso Armada, maintains the title of Honorary President along with María Dolores Masana. Edith Rodríguez Cachera, a correspondent for RSF International, and Pilar Bernal, a journalist, occupy the vice-presidency.

Incidence

World Press Freedom Index

RSF publishes a World Press Freedom Index every year. The list is generated from responses to a survey sent to journalists and specialists around the world asking about direct attacks on journalists and the media, as well as other indirect sources of pressure against the independent press.

Methodology

The report is produced with a questionnaire sent to organizations associated with Reporters Without Borders (14 freedom of expression groups on five continents) and their 130 correspondents around the world, as well as journalists, researchers, lawyers and human rights activists. The questionnaire asks both about direct attacks on journalists and the media, as well as other indirect forms of pressure against press freedom. The study also takes into account the pressures of groups outside the governments, such as the terrorism of ETA in Spain or the Mafia in Russia, as well as any other group that, in one way or another, puts freedom of expression in real danger. press of a country

The image obtained for a given period takes into account the events that occurred between September 1 and August 31 of each year. It only considers human rights violations that have to do with freedom of the press, including attacks against journalists (classified as murders, imprisonment, assaults and threats) and against the media (censorship, confiscation of editions and equipment, control visits and other pressures).

Other factors taken into account are the degree of impunity from which those responsible for violations of press freedom benefit, the legal framework on which the exercise of the profession is based, as well as the existence of monopolies in the press or other means, the presence of regulatory bodies and the behavior of the State in relation to the international press. Finally, the attacks on the freedom of information circulation via the Internet are taken into account.

The index currently compares 180 countries.

Forum on Information and Democracy

In 2018, RSF created the Commission on Information and Democracy with the aim of establishing new guarantees for freedom of expression in the global information and communication space. In their joint declaration of intent, the president of the Commission and general secretary of RSF, Christophe Deloire, and Nobel Prize winner Shirin Ebadi, identified a series of factors that currently threaten that freedom: political control of the media, news and information driven by special interests, the growing influence of corporate actors, online misinformation and the erosion of quality journalism.

This Commission published the International Declaration on Information and Democracy to establish the principles, define the objectives and propose forms of governance for the global space of information and communication online. The Declaration emphasizes that corporate entities with a structural function in the global space have duties, especially with regard to political and ideological neutrality, pluralism and responsibility. It is requested that the right to diverse, independent and reliable information be recognized in order to be able to freely form an opinion and participate fully in the democratic debate.

At the 2018 Paris Peace Forum, 12 countries launched a political process aimed at offering democratic guarantees for information and freedom of opinion, based on the principles established in the Declaration

Trusted Journalism Initiative

In 2018, RSF launched the Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI) together with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), Agence France Press (AFP) and Global Editors Network (GEN).. The JTI defines indicators for trustworthy journalism and rewards its commitment, bringing tangible benefits to all media, as well as supporting them in the creation of a healthy space for information.

This Initiative stands apart from others like it by focusing on the process of journalism and not just the content. The media are expected to abide by rules that include transparency in ownership and sources of income, as well as proof of a number of professional guarantees.

Actions

RSF's defense of press freedom includes international missions, the publication of country reports, training of journalists and public protests. Recent global advocacy and practical interventions include the opening of a center for women journalists in Afghanistan in 2017; a creative protest with street artist C215 in Strasbourg for the arrested Turkish journalists; the sending of a commission, in July 2018, to Saudi Arabia to demand the release of 30 journalists; blackout of the lights of the Eiffel Tower in memory of the murdered Saudi journalist, Jamal Kashoggi; train journalists and bloggers in Syria; or the recent opening, together with the Institute of Mass Information (IMI) of the Press Freedom Center in Lviv (Ukraine) to support the Ukrainian and foreign press in their coverage of the war in the country.

RSF also compiles lists of Predators of Press Freedom, highlighting the most egregious international violators of the right to journalistic freedom. It also constantly updates its Press Freedom Barometer, which monitors the number of journalists, media workers, and citizen journalists killed or imprisoned. Its Operation Collateral Freedom program, launched in 2014, provides alternative access to censored websites by creating mirror sites. Thanks to this system, 22 websites have already been unblocked in 12 countries, including Iran, China, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam.

RSF's work includes offering scholarships to journalists at risk and supporting media workers in need of shelter and protection.

Awards

The RSF Annual Press Freedom Award, created in 1992, commemorates brave and independent journalists who have faced threats or imprisonment for their work and who have had to deal with abuse of power. TV5-Monde is a partner of this award. In 2018, RSF launched new categories for this award: courage, independence and impact.

The Netizen Award was created in 2010, in collaboration with Google, to recognize individuals, including bloggers and cyber-dissidents, who have advanced freedom of information on the Internet through investigative reporting or other initiatives.

Every few years, RSF also awards the anti-award to Predators of Press Freedom.

Winners of the RSF Prize for Press Freedom (1992-2021)

• 1992 Zlatko Dizdarevic, Bosnia-Herzegovina
• 1993 Wang Juntao, China
• 1994 André Sibomana, Rwanda
• 1995 Christina Anyanwu, Nigeria
• 1996 Isik Yurtçu, Turkey
• 1997 Raúl Rivero, Cuba
• 1998 Nizar Nayyouf, Syria
• 1999 San San Nweh, Burma
• 2000 Carmen Gurruchaga, Spain
• 2001 Reza Alijani, Iran
• 2002 Grigory Pasko, Russia
• 2003 Ali Lmrabet, Morocco; The Daily News, Zimbabwe; Michèle Montas, Haiti
• 2004 Hafnaoui Ghoul, Algeria; Zeta, Mexico; Liu Xiaobo, China
• 2005 Zhao Yan, China; Tolo TVAfghanistan; National Union of Somali Journalists, Somalia; Massoud Hamid, Syria
• 2006 Win Tin, Burma; Novaya Gazeta, Russia; Guillermo Fariñas Hernández, Cuba
• 2007 Seyoum Tsehaye, Eritrea; Democratic Voice of BurmaBurma; Kareem Amer, Egypt; Hu Jia, Zeng Jinyan, China
• 2008 Ricardo Gonzales Alfonso, Cuba; Radio Free NK, North Korea; Zarganar and Nay Phone Latt, Burma
• 2009 Amira Hass, Israel; Dosh, Chechnya
• 2010 Abdolreza Tajik, Iran; Radio ShabelleSomalia
• 2011 Ali Ferzat, Syria; Weekly Eleven NewsBurma
• 2012 Mazen Darwish, Syria; 8SobhAfghanistan
• 2013 Muhammad Bekjanov, Uzbekistan; UthayanSri Lanka
• 2014 Sanjuana Martínez, Mexico; FrontPage AfricaLiberia; Raif Badawi, Saudi Arabia
• 2015 Zeina Erhaim, Syria; Zone9, Ethiopia; CumhuriyetTurkey
• 2016 Hadi Abdullah, Syria; 64TianwangChina; Lu Yuyu and Li Tingyu, China
• 2017 Tomasz Piatek, Poland; Medyascope, Turkey; Soheil Arabi, Iran
• 2018 Swati Chaturvedi, India; Matthew Caruana Galizia, Malta; Inday Espina-Varona, Philippines; Carole Cadwalladr, United Kingdom
• 2019 Eman al-Nafjan, Saudi Arabia; Pham Doan Trang, Vietnam; Caroline Muscat, Malta
• 2020 Lina Attalah, Egypt; Elena Milashina, Belarus; Jimmy Lai, Hong Kong
• 2021 Zhang Zhan, China; Pegasus Project, Forbidden Stories, France; Majdoleen Hassona, Palestine

Netizen Award

• 2010 Change for Equality, awomen’s rights, Iran
• 2011 Nawaat, bloggers, Tunisia
• 2012 Syrian Local Coordination Committees, Media Center, Citizen Journalists and Activists, Syria
• 2013 Huynh Ngoc Chenh, blogger, Vietnam
• 2014 Raif Badawi, blogger, Saudi Arabia
• 2015 Zone9, collective of bloggers, Ethiopia
• 2016 Lu Yuyu and Li Tingyu, Citizen Journalists, China

Posts

RSF publishes an annual report on journalists killed or detained for exercising their profession. During the year 2021, a total of 47 communication professionals were murdered, along with 4 collaborators. On the other hand, the number of imprisoned journalists rose to 313. Despite the high figures, 2012 and 2013 were the deadliest years for the profession since RSF compiled the count, with a total of 136 and 138 murdered, respectively. In 2014, the most dangerous areas for journalists were Syria, Palestine, Ukraine, Iraq, and Libya. Currently, in 2022, the number of murdered already reaches 55 and 538 are incarcerated.

In addition to its reports by country, region and topic, RSF also publishes its album 100 photos for Press Freedom every three years as a promotional and fundraising tool. It is a major source of income for the organization, raising almost a quarter of its funds in 2018.

Featured Reports

• 2016 Freedom of expression under a state of emergencyTurkey
• 2016 When the oligarchs go shopping
• 2017 Who owns the media in France?
• 2018 Rights of women: prohibited subject
• 2018 Journalists: the Nightmare of Organized Crime
• 2018 Cambodia: the independent press, in ruins
• 2019 The search for China for a new world order in the media
• 2019 Media ownership monitorPakistan Freedom Network)
• 2021 The big leap behind journalism in China
• 2022 Information and evidence showing that Ukrainian journalist Maks Levin was murdered
• 2022 President Sisi's puppetsEgypt

Announcements

On February 22, 2020, RSF issued a statement condemning the call by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for the detention of journalists in Iran. IRGC intelligence summoned some journalists and banned any media activity. Reporters Without Borders described the actions of IRGC intelligence as "arbitrary and illegal" and aimed at "preventing journalists from reporting on social media&# 34;. Following the coronavirus outbreak in Iran, RSF released another statement expressing its concern for the health of imprisoned journalists.

On April 16, 2020, RSF wrote to two United Nations special rapporteurs on Freedom of Expression and Health, urging them to issue stern warnings to governments that restricted freedom of expression in the context of the pandemic. The letter, signed by RSF director Christian Mihr, stated: "press freedom and access to information are more important than ever in the age of the coronavirus pandemic"

On April 21, 2020, RSF headquarters in Paris claimed that the pandemic had amplified and highlighted multiple crises and cast a shadow over press freedom. The High Representative of the EU, Josep Borrell, established that the pandemic should not be used to justify the limitation of democratic and civil liberties, and that the rule of law and international commitments should be respected. He also said that freedom of expression and access to information should not be limited and that measures taken against the pandemic should not be used to restrict the work of human rights defenders, reporters, media personnel and the institutions of civil society

On June 25, 2020, RSF issued another statement called Forced repentance online, the new method of repression in Iran. According to this report, the Revolutionary Guards called some journalists, writers and human rights activists to threaten them with jail, thus forcing them to express regret or apologies for posting articles and comments in cyberspace, in an attempt to silence them.

Funding

RSF's budget in 2018 was 6.1 million euros. 50% of the organization's income comes from public subsidies; 12% from foundations; 24% of the publication of photo albums; and 9% from public donations.

Foundations that support RSF's work include the Adessium Foundation, the Directorate General for International Cooperation and Development, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency and Pierre Omidyar.

RSF has been criticized for accepting funding from the US National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and the Center for a Free Cuba. In response, Secretary General Robert Ménard stated that NED funding amounted to 0.92% of the budget and was used to support African journalists and their families. In addition, RSF ceased its relationship with the Cuban organization in 2008.

Acknowledgments

RSF has received multiple international awards in recognition of its achievements:

• 1992 Lorenzo Natali Award of the European Commission for the Defence of Human Rights and Democracy
• 1997 Prize for Journalism and Democracy of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
• 2005 Sakharov Prize of the European Parliament shared in the category of "Freedom of Thought" with Nigerian human rights lawyer Hauwa Ibrahim and the Cuban movement Damas de Blanco
• 2006 Award for Democracy and Human Rights in Asia, Taiwan Foundation for Democracy
• 2007 Dawit Isaak Award of the Swedish Publicist Association
• 2008 Kahil Gibran Award for Institutional Excellence of the American Arab Institute
• 2009 Roland Berger Prize for Human Dignity, shared with human rights lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize, Shirin Ebadi
• 2009 Medalla Carlomagno to the European media
• 2012 International Press Club Award in Madrid
• 2013 Award for Freedom of Expression of the International Press Club Association in Warsaw
• 2014 Bonn City Democracy Award (Germany)
• 2019 Dan David Award for Defense of Democracy, shared with Michael Ignatieff

RSF was criticized for accepting the Dan David Prize, awarded by Israel's Dan David Foundation, because of alleged Palestinian journalists killed or detained in Gaza.