Reporters Without Borders

Description

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is an international non-profit organisation. It defends every person’s right to access free and reliable information, and works for the freedom, pluralism and independence of journalism, defending those who embody these ideals. RSF was founded in 1985 in Montpellier by four journalists. It has been recognised as a public-interest organisation in France since 1995, and holds consultative status with the United Nations, UNESCO, the Council of Europe and the International Organisation of La Francophonie.

RSF operates from an international headquarters in Paris. It has six national sections, in Germany, Austria, Spain, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland. It has seven bureaus, including London, Brussels, Tunis, Washington DC, Rio de Janeiro, Dakar and Taipei, and a network of 134 correspondents around the world. RSF reports daily, in five languages, on abuses against journalists and on all forms of censorship, and produces an annual World Press Freedom Index ranking press freedom in 180 countries.

It campaigns to unblock censored websites and supports online media. It advocates before governments and international organisations for stronger legal protections for freedom of information, and runs high-profile mobilisation campaigns. It assists journalists working in dangerous areas by lending safety equipment, providing legal support to victims of abuses, and helping reporters forced to flee seek asylum. It also trains journalists in physical and digital security and supports local press-freedom organisations.

RSF says it has assisted more than 12,000 journalists in the field over the past five years. It has also helped secure the release of imprisoned journalists, including Sami al-Haj and Hervé Ghesquière.