Reporters Without Borders facts for kids
|
Reporters Sans Frontières
|
|
Logo since 2020
|
|
| Formation | 1985 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Robert Ménard, Rémy Loury, Jacques Molénat and Émilien Jubineau |
| Type | Nonprofit organisation, non-governmental organisation with consultant status at the United Nations |
| Headquarters | Paris, France |
|
Director General
|
Christophe Deloire (since July 2012) |
|
Key people
|
Christophe Deloire, Secretary General Pierre Haski, President RSF France Mickael Rediske, President RSF Germany Christian Mihr, CEO RSF Germany Rubina Möhring, President RSF Austria Alfonso Armada, President RSF Spain Gérard Tschopp, President RSF Switzerland Erik Halkjær, President, RSF Sweden Jarmo Mäkelä, President, RSF Finland |
|
Budget
|
€6 million (RSF France) |
|
Staff
|
Approximately 100 |
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is an international group that works to protect the right to freedom of information. This means they believe everyone should be able to get and share news and facts freely. Their work is based on Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This article says people have the right to receive and share information across borders. RSF also works with big international groups like the United Nations and UNESCO.
Contents
What RSF Does
RSF works to protect journalists and the right to free expression and information. They do this in many ways, from helping individual journalists to talking with governments.
Helping Journalists and Sharing News
RSF shares daily updates and news releases about threats to media freedom. They publish these in several languages, including French, English, and Spanish. Each year, they release the World Press Freedom Index. This report checks how free the media is in 180 countries.
RSF also helps journalists who are in danger. They offer training on how to stay safe online and in person. They also work to make people aware of unfair treatment against journalists. RSF tries to get governments to create laws that support media freedom. They also take legal action to defend journalists who are in trouble. Plus, RSF keeps track of how many journalists are killed each year while doing their job.
On World Day Against Cyber-Censorship (March 12, 2020), RSF named 20 "Digital Predators of Press Freedom." These are groups or people who try to stop news from being shared online. RSF also helped unblock 21 websites that were censored in some countries.
History of RSF
Reporters Without Borders started in Montpellier, France, in 1985. It was founded by Robert Ménard, Rémy Loury, Jacques Molénat, and Émilien Jubineau. In 1995, it officially became a non-profit group. Robert Ménard was the first leader. Later, Christophe Deloire became the secretary-general in 2012.
How RSF is Organized
RSF's main office is in Paris, France. They also have 13 other offices around the world. These include offices in Brussels, London, Washington, and Berlin. They have a network of 146 people who help them in different countries. About 57 people work for RSF in Paris and other offices. A group of governors, chosen by RSF members, makes decisions about the organization's plans. An International Council checks RSF's activities and approves its money plans.
RSF's Important Work
RSF does a lot of important work to protect journalists and the right to information.
World Press Freedom Index
The World Press Freedom Index is a yearly report by RSF. It ranks countries based on how free their media is. This helps show where journalists face the most challenges.
Information and Democracy Initiative
In 2018, RSF started the Information and Democracy Commission. This group aims to create new ways to protect freedom of opinion and expression around the world. The leaders of this commission, Christophe Deloire and Nobel winner Shirin Ebadi, pointed out many things that threaten this freedom. These include governments controlling the media, news being used for private gain, and lots of false information online.
This Commission wrote the International Declaration on Information and Democracy. This document sets out rules and goals for how information should be shared online. It says that big companies that control online spaces have duties. They should be fair, neutral, and responsible. The Declaration also says that everyone has a right to diverse, independent, and reliable information. This helps people form their own opinions and take part in democratic discussions.
In 2018, 12 countries began working together to protect news and information. They based their efforts on the ideas in this Declaration.
Journalism Trust Initiative
RSF also launched the Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI) in 2018. This project helps define what makes journalism trustworthy. It rewards news groups that follow these rules. This helps create a healthier space for information. JTI looks at how journalism is done, not just the content itself. News organizations need to be open about who owns them, where their money comes from, and how they ensure professional standards.
Actions to Protect Freedom
RSF protects journalistic freedom through international trips, publishing reports about different countries, and training journalists. They also hold public protests.
RSF supports the Munich Charter. This important document explains the "Rights and Obligations" of journalists. It was created in Germany in 1971 and is accepted by most journalist groups in Europe.
Recently, RSF has done many things to help journalists. For example:
- They opened a center for women journalists in Afghanistan in 2017.
- They protested in Strasbourg to support Turkish journalists who were in prison.
- They turned off the lights of the Eiffel Tower to honor Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist who was killed.
- They trained journalists and bloggers in Syria.
- In July 2018, RSF went to Saudi Arabia to ask for the release of 30 journalists.
RSF also has a "Predators of Press Freedom" gallery. This highlights the worst people or groups who harm press freedom. They also have an online "Press Freedom Barometer" that tracks how many journalists are killed or put in prison. Their "Operation Collateral Freedom" program, started in 2014, helps people access censored websites. It does this by creating "mirror sites" that are copies of the blocked sites. So far, 22 sites have been unblocked in 12 countries, including Iran, China, and Saudi Arabia. RSF also gives money to journalists in danger and helps media workers who need a safe place to go.
Prizes for Courageous Journalists
RSF gives out an annual Press Freedom Prize. This prize, started in 1992, honors brave journalists who have faced threats or been imprisoned for their work. It celebrates those who have stood up against people who abuse power.
A Netizen Prize was added in 2010, with help from Google. This prize recognizes people, like bloggers, who have helped freedom of information online. They might do this through investigative reporting or other projects.
In 2018, RSF added new categories for the Press Freedom Prize: courage, independence, and impact. Every few years, RSF also gives out "Press Freedom Predator" anti-awards.
Press Freedom Prizewinners (1992–2021)
Many brave journalists and media groups have received the RSF Press Freedom Prize over the years. Here are some of them:
- 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 TV, Afghanistan; National Union of Somalian Journalists, Somalia; Massoud Hamid, Syria
- 2006: Win Tin, Burma; Novaya Gazeta, Russia; Guillermo Fariñas Hernández, Cuba
- 2007: Seyoum Tsehaye, Eritrea; Democratic Voice of Burma, Burma; 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 Shabelle, Somalia
- 2011: Ali Ferzat, Syria; Weekly Eleven News, Burma
- 2012: Mazen Darwish, Syria; 8Sobh, Afghanistan
- 2013: Muhammad Bekjanov, Uzbekistan; Uthayan, Sri Lanka
- 2014: Sanjuana Martínez, Mexico; FrontPage Africa, Liberia; Raif Badawi, Saudi Arabia
- 2015: Zeina Erhaim, Syria; Zone9, Ethiopia; Cumhuriyet, Turkey
- 2016: Hadi Abdullah, Syria; 64Tianwang, China; Lu Yuyu and Li Tingyu, China
- 2017: Tomasz Piątek, 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 of the network Forbidden Stories, France; Majdoleen Hassona, Palestine
Netizen Prize Winners
The Netizen Prize honors individuals and groups who promote online freedom of information.
- 2010: Change for Equality website, www.we-change.org, women's rights activists, Iran
- 2011: Nawaat.org, bloggers, Tunisia
- 2012: Local Coordination Committees of Syria, media centre, citizen journalists and activists, Syria
- 2013: Huynh Ngoc Chenh, blogger, Vietnam
- 2014: Raif Badawi, blogger, Saudi Arabia
- 2015: Zone9, blogger collective, Ethiopia
- 2016: Lu Yuyu and Li Tingyu, citizen journalists, China
Yearly Reports
RSF publishes a report every year. These reports share numbers about journalists who have been killed, arrested, or taken hostage. For example, in 2018, RSF reported that over 80 journalists were killed. Also, 348 were in prison, and 60 were being held hostage. These reports help show the dangers journalists face around the world.
How RSF Gets Money
In 2022, RSF's budget was about €8 million. More than half of their money comes from governments. Other money comes from foundations, business activities, and donations from the public. Some foundations that support RSF include the American Express and the Ford Foundation.
Awards and Recognition
RSF has received many international awards for its important work.
- 1992: "Lorenzo Natali Prize" from the European Commission for defending human rights.
- 1997: "Journalism and Democracy Prize" from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
- 2005: Shared the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize for "Freedom of Thought."
- 2006: "Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award" from Taiwan Foundation for Democracy.
- 2007: "Dawit Isaak Prize" from the Swedish Publicists' Association.
- 2008: "Kahlil Gibran Award for Institutional Excellence."
- 2009: Shared the "Roland Berger Human Dignity Award" with Shirin Ebadi.
- 2009: "Médaille Charlemagne" for European Media.
- 2012: "Club Internacional de Prensa" Award.
- 2013: "Freedom of Speech Award" from the International Association of Press Clubs.
- 2014: City of Bonn's 2014 DemokratiePreis.
- 2019: Dan David Prize, Defending Democracy, shared with Michael Ignatieff.
See also
In Spanish: Reporteros Sin Fronteras para niños
- The Uncensored Library
- Avocats Sans Frontières
- Committee to Protect Journalists
- Electronic Frontier Foundation
- Freedom of speech
- Freedom of the Press Foundation
- Internet censorship by country
- List of indices of freedom
- Media transparency
- World Day Against Cyber Censorship
