Reporters Without Borders: Information and Much More from Answers.com

Reporters Without Borders, or RWB (French: Reporters sans frontières, Spanish: Reporteros Sin Fronteras, or RSF, German: Reporter ohne Grenzen or ROG) is a Paris-based international non-governmental organization that advocates for freedom of the press. It was founded in 1985 by current Secretary General Robert Ménard, Rony Brauman (then president of Doctors Without Borders) and the journalist Jean-Claude Guillebaud.^[1]

Press freedom

RWB was founded in Montpellier in 1985. At first, the association was aimed at promoting alternative journalism, but before the failure of their project, the three founders stumbled on disagreements between themselves ^[1]. Finally, only Robert Ménard stayed and became its Secretary General. Ménard changed the NGO's aim towards freedom of press ^[1].

Reporters Without Borders states that it draws its inspiration from Article 19 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, according to which everyone has "the right to freedom of opinion and expression" and also the right to "seek, receive and impart" information and ideas "regardless of frontiers." This has been re-affirmed by several charters and declarations around the world. In Europe, this right is included in the 1950 Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.

Reporters Without Borders is a founding member of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange, a virtual network of non-governmental organisations that monitors free expression violations worldwide and defends journalists, writers and others who are persecuted for exercising their right to freedom of expression.

In 2005, Reporters Without Borders shared the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought with Nigerian human rights lawyer Hauwa Ibrahim and Cuba's Ladies in White movement.^[2]

Over the years, RWB has published several books to raise public awareness of threats to press freedom around the world. A recent publication is the Handbook for Bloggers and Cyber-Dissidents ^[3], which was launched in September 2005. The handbook provides technical tips on how to blog anonymously and avoid censorship. It includes contributions from renowned blogger-journalists Dan Gillmor, Jay Rosen and Ethan Zuckerman.

Funding

Some funding (19% of total) comes from Western governments and organisations, among them the American National Endowment for Democracy (NED).^[4][5] According to RWB president Robert Ménard, the donations from the French government account for 4,8% of RWB's budget; the total amount of governmental aid being 11% of its budget (including money from the French government, the OSCE, UNESCO and the Organisation internationale de la francophonie).^[6] Furthermore RWB receives funding from various private donors, such as the Soros Foundation and the Center for a Free Cuba.^[7] Furthermore, Saatchi & Saatchi has realized various communication campaigns of RWB for free (for instance, concerning censorship in Algeria ^[8]).

Daniel Junqua, the vice-president of the French section of RWB (and also vice-president of the NGO Les Amis du Monde diplomatique), has stated that the NED's funding does not compromise RWB's impartiality.^[6]

Controversy and Campaigns

Robert Ménard interview

In an interview to France Culture, whilst speaking about the case of the kidnapped journalist Daniel Pearl, RWB president Robert Ménard said that the use of torture could be justified in some circumstances.^[9]

Cuba

Tensions between Cuban authorities and RWB are high, particularly after the imprisonment in 2003 of 75 dissidents (27 journalists) by the Cuban Government, including Raúl Rivero and Oscar Elías Biscet. RWB describes the Cuban regime as "totalitarian" and engages in direct campaigning against Castro's regime. ^[10] RWB has been described as an "ultra-reactionary" organization by the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party, Granma.^[10]

Lucie Morillon, RWB's Washington representative, confirmed in an interview on 29 April, 2005 that the organization receives money from the Washington-based Center for a Free Cuba ($50,000 in 2004), and that a contract with the US State Department's Special Envoy to the Western Hemisphere, Otto Reich, requires them to inform Europeans about repression against journalists in Cuba. However, the organisation has denied that its campaigning on the issue of Cuba - in declarations on radio and television, full-page ads in Parisian dailies, posters, leafletting at airports, and an April 2003 occupation of the Cuban tourism office in Paris - were related to the payments.^[11] 1.3% of total funding came from this source.^[12]

A Paris court (tribunal de grande instance) ordered RWB to pay 6,000 Euros to the daughter and heir of Alberto Korda for non-compliance with a court order of 9 July 2003 banning it from using Korda’s famous (and copyrighted) photograph of Ernesto "Che" Guevara in a beret, taken at the funeral of La Coubre victims. RWB said it was "relieved" it was not given a harsher sentence.^[10][13] The face had been superimposed by RSF with that of a May 1968 CRS anti-riot police agent, and the postcard handed out at Orly Airport in Paris to tourists boarding on flights for Cuba. Korda's daughter declared to Granma that "Reporters Without Borders should call themselves Reporters Without Principles."^[14] Headed by Robert Ménard, RWB also burst into the Cuban Tourism Office in Paris on 4 April, 2003, obstructing the running of the office for nearly four hours.^[15][16] On April 24, 2003, RWB organized a demonstration outside the Cuban embassy in Paris.^[15]. According to Cuban diplomats cited by Granma, Orlando Gutiérrez, founder of the Cuban Democratic Office in Miami, received over one million USD from USAID to promote subversion on the island and coordinate plans with RWB.^[17]

RWB claims it has been the target of hostility from the Cuban authorities since the arrest of 75 dissidents in March 2003. Cuba’s representatives have called for the withdrawal of its consultative status with the United Nations. RWB lost its UN approved NGO status for one year in July 2003 at the request of Cuba and Libya, as a result of protests against Libya receiving the chairmanship of the United Nations Human Rights Committee in Geneva, during the committee's opening session.^[18]

Haiti

The online newsletter CounterPunch criticised RWB's reporting of press freedom in Haiti during and after Jean-Bertrand Aristide's presidency, arguing that it is biased.^[19]

Venezuela

Le Monde diplomatique has criticized RWB's attitude towards Hugo Chávez's government in Venezuela, in particular during the 2002 coup attempt.^[20] In a right of reply, Robert Ménard declared that RWB had also condemned the support of RCTV to the coup attempt.^[6]

Philippines

On August 23, 2007, RWB condemned the continuing threats and violence against Philippine radio commentators who report on organized crime and corruption, following a death threat on RGMA Palawan station manager Lily Uy.^[21]

Worldwide press freedom index

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RWB compiles and publishes an annual ranking of countries based upon the organization's assessment of their press freedom records. Small countries, such as Malta, and Andorra, are excluded from this report. The 2007 list was published on 16 October 2007.

The report is based on a questionnaire sent to partner organisations of Reporters Without Borders (14 freedom of expression groups in five continents) and its 130 correspondents around the world, as well as to journalists, researchers, jurists and human rights activists.^[22]

The survey asks questions about direct attacks on journalists and the media as well as other indirect sources of pressure against the free press. RWB is careful to note that the index only deals with press freedom, and does not measure the quality of journalism. Due to the nature of the survey's methodology based on individual perceptions, there are often wide contrasts in a country's ranking from year to year. The ranking also states it takes into account pressure on journalists by non-governmental groups, for example the Basque terrorist group ETA in Spain or the Mafia in Russia, can pose serious threats to press freedom.

A higher index indicates more restraints on freedom of the press.

Yearly worldwide press freedom ranking of countries published by Reporters Without Borders
Rank	Country	Index	Notes
2007	2007	2006	2005	2004	2003	2002
1	Iceland	0.75	0.50	0.50	0.50	0.50	0.50
1	Norway	0.75	2.00	0.50	0.50	0.50	0.50
3	Estonia	1.00	2.00	1.50	2.00	2.50
3	Slovakia	1.00	2.50	0.75	0.50	2.50
5	Belgium	1.50	4.00	4.00	4.00	1.17	3.50
5	Finland	1.50	0.50	0.50	0.50	0.50	0.50
5	Sweden	1.50	4.00	2.00	2.00	1.50	1.50
8	Denmark	2.00	5.00	0.50	0.50	1.00	3.00
8	Ireland	2.00	0.50	0.50	0.50	2.83	1.00
8	Portugal	2.00	3.00	4.83	4.50	5.17	1.50
11	Switzerland	3.00	2.50	0.50	0.50	2.50	4.25
12	Latvia	3.50	3.00	2.50	1.00	2.25
12	Netherlands	3.50	0.50	0.50	0.50	0.50	0.50
14	Czech Republic	4.00	0.75	1.00	3.50	2.50	11.25
15	New Zealand	4.17	5.00	2.00	0.67	2.83
16	Austria	4.25	4.50	2.50	3.25	2.75	7.50
17	Hungary	4.50	3.00	2.00	6.00	3.33	6.50
18	Canada	4.88	4.50	4.50	3.33	1.83	0.75
19	Trinidad and Tobago	5.00	5.00	2.00	2.00	1.00
20	Germany	5.75	5.50	4.00	2.00	1.33	1.50
21	Costa Rica	6.50	6.67	8.50	7.63	3.83	4.25
21	Slovenia	6.50	3.00	1.00	2.25	3.00	4.00
23	Lithuania	7.00	6.50	4.50	3.00	2.83
24	United Kingdom	8.25	6.50	5.17	6.00	4.25	6.00
25	Mauritius	8.50	8.00	7.50	10.50	7.25	9.50
25	Namibia	8.50	6.00	5.50	10.00	11.00	8.00
27	Jamaica	8.63	5.50	7.50	4.17	3.33
28	Australia	8.79	9.00	6.50	9.50	9.25	3.50
29	Ghana	9.00	8.50	15.00	13.50	8.75	23.00
30	Greece	9.25	8.00	4.00	7.00	6.00	5.00
31	France	9.75	9.00	6.25	3.50	4.17	3.25
32	Republic of China (Taiwan)	10.00	10.50	12.25	14.25	12.00	9.00
33	Spain	10.25	10.00	8.33	9.00	7.67	7.75
34	Bosnia and Herzegovina	11.17	5.00	7.00	3.67	6.83	12.50
35	Italy	11.25	9.90	8.67	9.00	9.75	11.00
36	Republic of Macedonia	11.50	11.50	8.75	11.25	9.67
37	Japan	11.75	12.50	8.00	10.00	8.00	7.50
37	Uruguay	11.75	13.75	9.75	10.00	4.00	6.00
	Grenada				12.00
39	Chile	12.13	11.63	11.75	10.00	6.83	6.50
39	South Korea	12.13	7.75	7.50	11.13	9.17	10.50
41	Croatia	12.50	13.00	12.83	11.83	16.50	8.75
42	Romania	12.75	14.00	16.17	17.83	11.50	13.25
43	South Africa	13.00	11.25	6.50	5.00	3.33	7.50
44	Israel (Israeli territory)	13.25	12.00	10.00	8.00	8.00	30.00
45	Cape Verde	14.00	11.50	6.00	8.75	8.25	13.75
45	Cyprus	14.00	7.50	5.50	22.00	20.83		pre-2005 data included Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
47	Nicaragua	14.25	15.50	15.25	11.67	6.50
48	United States	14.50	13.00	9.50	4.00	6.00	4.75
49	Togo	15.17	15.00	23.75	19.50	27.50	31.50
50	Mauritania	15.50	17.50	40.00	51.00	36.67	41.33
51	Bulgaria	16.25	9.00	10.25	8.00	6.50	9.75
52	Mali	16.50	9.00	8.00	12.83	11.00	12.50
53	Benin	17.00	5.50	5.50	5.50	5.25	6.00
54	Panama	17.88	9.50	15.00	14.50	9.75	15.50
55	Tanzania	18.00	19.82	17.50	14.50	16.50	21.25
56	Ecuador	18.50	15.25	21.75	16.50	7.67	5.50
56	Poland	18.50	14.00	12.50	6.83	6.17	7.75
58	Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus	19.00	14.50	12.50	22.00	20.83		pre-2005 data included Cyprus
58	Montenegro	19.00	11.50	14.83	20.13	21.33	20.75	pre-2007 data from Serbia and Montenegro
60	Kosovo	19.75	16.00	25.75	20.13	21.33	20.75	pre-2005 data from Serbia and Montenegro
61	Hong Kong	20.00	14.00	8.25	7.50	11.00	4.83
61	Madagascar	20.00	15.00	24.50	18.50	8.17	22.75
63	Kuwait	20.17	17.00	21.25	31.67	31.33	25.50
64	El Salvador	20.20	10.00	5.75	6.00	6.83	8.75
65	United Arab Emirates	20.25	17.50	25.75	50.25	37.00
66	Georgia	20.83	21.00	25.17	27.50	17.33
67	Serbia	21.00	11.50	14.83	20.13	21.33	20.75	pre-2007 data from Serbia and Montenegro
68	Bolivia	21.50	4.50	9.67	20.00	9.67	14.50
68	Burkina Faso	21.50	16.00	19.00	16.25	18.00	27.75
68	Zambia	21.50	22.50	23.00	29.75	23.25	26.75
71	Central African Republic	22.50	14.50	19.75	32.50	32.75	21.50
72	Dominican Republic	22.75	12.75	12.25	6.75	17.00
73	Mozambique	23.00	11.50	10.50	16.25	14.00	23.50
74	Mongolia	23.40	19.25	12.50	19.00	18.25	24.50
75	Botswana	23.50	13.00	14.00	11.50	13.00
75	Haiti	23.50	19.50	33.50	42.13	31.00	36.50
77	Armenia	23.63	25.50	26.00	23.50	25.17
78	Kenya	23.75	30.25	30.00	22.25	18.50	24.75
79	Qatar	24.00	18.00	23.00	32.50	35.00
80	Republic of the Congo	24.50	17.00	17.00	17.50	14.00	23.17
81	Moldova	24.75	19.17	17.50	20.50	27.00
82	Argentina	24.83	17.30	13.67	21.33	15.17	12.00
83	Senegal	25.00	17.50	19.00	21.50	14.50	14.00
84	Brazil	25.25	17.17	14.50	16.50	16.75	18.75
85	Cambodia	25.33	27.25	23.00	36.50	19.50	24.25
85	Liberia	25.33	19.00	20.50	40.00	40.00	37.75
87	Albania	25.50	18.00	14.17	11.50	6.50
87	Honduras	25.50	14.50	18.00	11.75	14.17
87	Niger	25.50	24.50	13.00	18.33	15.75	18.50
90	Paraguay	26.10	18.25	15.50	10.50	7.17	8.50
91	Angola	26.50	21.50	18.00	26.50	28.00	30.17
92	Malawi	26.75	25.50	22.75	31.00	21.00	27.67
92	Ukraine	26.75	26.50	32.50	51.00	40.00	40.00
94	Côte d'Ivoire	27.00	25.00	52.25	60.38	42.17	19.00
94	Timor-Leste	27.00	18.50	13.50	13.50	5.50
96	Comoros	28.00	22.50	22.00	26.50	18.50	20.50
96	Uganda	28.00	29.83	19.25	24.00	25.75	17.00
98	Lebanon	28.75	27.00	28.25	24.38	32.50	19.67
99	Lesotho	29.50	16.00	19.50	29.50	17.75
100	Indonesia	30.50	26.00	26.00	37.75	34.25	20.00
101	Turkey	31.25	25.00	25.00	37.25	35.00	33.50
102	Gabon	31.50	28.50	26.00	37.50	31.25	20.50
103	Israel (extra-territorial)	32.00	47.00		37.50	49.00
104	Guatemala	33.00	21.25	21.50	16.50	30.83	27.25
104	Seychelles	33.00	24.50	17.00	23.50	26.75	20.75
106	Morocco	33.25	24.83	36.17	43.00	39.67	29.00
107	Fiji	33.50	14.00	14.00	16.00	11.50
107	Guinea	33.50	27.50	26.00	24.50	33.17	26.00
107	Guinea-Bissau	33.50	14.50	17.00	23.50	35.25	30.25
110	Kyrgyzstan	33.60	34.00	32.00	35.25	32.00	31.75
111	Cameroon	36.00	28.25	20.50	27.00	30.50	28.83
111	United States (extra-territorial)	36.00	31.50	48.50	36.00	41.00
113	Chad	36.50	35.50	30.00	33.25	24.00	28.75
114	Venezuela	36.88	29.00	23.00	24.63	27.83	25.00
115	Tajikistan	37.00	30.00	33.00	27.75	34.50	28.25
116	Bhutan	37.17	25.00	51.50	55.83	77.33	90.75
117	Peru	37.38	28.25	33.33	40.00	10.25	9.50
118	Bahrain	38.00	28.00	38.75	52.50	35.17	23.00
	Brunei						38.00
119	Tonga	38.25	13.00	14.50	38.17
120	India	39.33	26.50	27.00	38.50	39.00	26.50
121	Sierra Leone	39.50	26.00	39.50	24.50	23.50	24.50
122	Jordan	40.21	27.50	24.00	39.13	37.00	33.50
123	Algeria	40.50	40.00	40.33	43.50	33.00	31.00
124	Malaysia	41.00	22.25	33.00	39.83	32.00	37.83
125	Kazakhstan	41.63	41.00	36.17	44.17	42.50	42.00
126	Colombia	42.33	44.75	40.17	47.38	49.17	40.83
127	Burundi	43.40	39.83
128	Philippines	44.75	51.00	50.00	36.63	35.25	29.00
129	Maldives	45.17	51.25	58.50	69.17	47.50
130	Gambia	48.25	54.00	41.00	29.50	18.25	22.50
131	Nigeria	49.83	32.23	38.75	37.75	31.50	15.50
132	Djibouti	50.25	33.00	37.00	55.00	35.50	31.25
133	Democratic Republic of the Congo	50.50	51.00	57.33	51.50	38.50	40.75
134	Bangladesh	53.17	48.00	61.25	62.50	46.50	43.75
135	Thailand	53.50	33.50	28.00	14.00	19.67	22.75
136	Mexico	53.63	45.83	45.50	27.83	17.67	24.75
137	Nepal	53.75	73.50	86.75	84.00	51.50	63.00
138	Swaziland	54.50	40.50	35.00	31.00	37.50	29.00
139	Azerbaijan	55.40	47.00	51.00	49.67	34.50	34.50
140	Sudan	55.75	48.13	44.00	44.25	45.75	36.00
141	Singapore	56.00	51.50	50.67	57.00	47.33
142	Afghanistan	56.50	44.25	39.17	28.25	40.17	35.50
143	Yemen	56.67	54.00	46.25	48.00	41.83	34.75
144	Russia	56.90	52.50	48.67	51.38	49.50	48.00
145	Tunisia	57.00	53.75	57.50	62.67	50.83	67.75
	Oman					57.75
146	Egypt	58.00	46.25	52.00	43.50	34.25	34.50
147	Rwanda	58.88	41.00	38.00	37.25	34.25	37.50
148	Saudi Arabia	59.75	76.00	66.00	79.17	71.50	62.50
149	Zimbabwe	62.00	50.00	64.25	67.50	45.50	48.25
150	Ethiopia	63.00	75.00	42.00	37.00	37.50	37.50
151	Belarus	63.63	57.00	61.33	54.10	52.00	52.17
152	Pakistan	64.83	70.33	60.75	61.75	39.00	44.67
153	Equatorial Guinea	65.25	48.00	44.00	46.25	44.75	42.75
154	Syria	66.00	63.00	55.00	67.50	67.50	62.83
155	Libya	66.50	62.50	88.75	65.00	60.00	72.50
156	Sri Lanka	67.50	50.75	33.25	36.50	24.83	15.75
157	Iraq	67.83	66.83	67.00	58.50	37.50	79.00
158	Palestinian Authority	69.83	46.75	42.50	43.17	39.25	27.00
159	Somalia	71.50	51.25	59.00	43.50	45.00
160	Uzbekistan	74.88	71.00	66.50	52.13	61.50	45.00
161	Laos	75.00	67.50	66.50	64.33	94.83	89.00
162	Vietnam	79.25	67.25	73.25	86.88	89.17	81.25
163	People's Republic of China (mainland only)	89.00	94.00	83.00	92.33	91.25	97.00
164	Myanmar	93.75	94.75	88.83	103.63	95.50	96.83
165	Cuba	96.17	95.00	87.00	106.83	97.83	90.25
166	Iran	96.50	90.88	89.17	78.30	89.33	48.25
167	Turkmenistan	103.75	98.50	93.50	99.83	82.83	91.50
168	North Korea	108.75	109.00	109.00	107.50	99.50	97.50
169	Eritrea	114.75	97.50	99.75	93.25	91.50	83.67

References

See also

• List of indices of freedom
• Chilling effect
• Media transparency

External links

• Reporters Without Borders
• Reporters Without Borders. Worldwide press freedom index 2002.
• Reporters Without Borders. Worldwide press freedom index 2003.
• Reporters Without Borders. Worldwide press freedom index 2004.
• Reporters Without Borders. Worldwide press freedom index 2005;
• Reporters Without Borders. Worldwide press freedom index 2006.
• Reporters Without Borders. Worldwide press freedom index 2007.

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Lists of countries with rankings
Geography	Area · Coastline · Highest point · Lowest point · Compactness · Coast/area ratio · Northernmost point · Southernmost point · Continent
Demographics	Population (graphical • by density) · Population growth rate · Life expectancy · Infant mortality rate · Fertility rate · Birth rate · Death rate · List of countries by sex ratio · Homicide rate · Human Development Index · Income equality · Literacy rate · HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate · Unemployment rate · Employment rate · Population living in poverty · Immigrant population · Suicide rate · Undernourishment rate · Firearm-related death rate · Gun ownership
Economy	Current account balance · Foreign exchange reserves · Imports · Number of internet users · Number of telephone lines  · Exports (per capita) · Debt (External, Public)  · Consumption (Electricity, Natural gas, Electricity Intensity) · Production (Natural gas production by country, Natural gas proven reserves, Oil proven reserves, Automobile production, Steel production, Aluminium production) GDP Nominal (per capita) · PPP (per capita • per capita per hour) Past (nominal • PPP) · Future (nominal • PPP • PPP per capita) · Growth (real • per capita) Sector composition · Demographics comparison
Politics Society	Heads of state and government · Political rights and civil liberties · Press freedom · Privacy · Perception of corruption · Bribe paying · Property rights · Economic freedom · Globalization · Ease of doing business · Economic competitiveness · Date of formation · Legal drinking age · School leaving age · Abortion law · Homosexuality laws · Death penalty · Quality-of-life · E-readiness · Failed States index · Travel Freedom
Military	Military expenditures · Number of active troops · Possession of nuclear weapons · UN peacekeepers currently deployed · Global Peace Index
Environment	Carbon dioxide emissions (per capita) · Greenhouse gas emissions per capita · GDP per emissions · Sustainability · Happy Planet Index
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