Who we are
Reporters Without Borders was founded in France in 1985. As an organization with consultative status at the UN and UNESCO, Reporters Without Borders works to promote and defend freedom of information worldwide. Headquartered in Paris, the organization has nine international offices (Berlin, Brussels, Geneva, Madrid, Rom, Stockholm, Tunis, Vienna and Washington DC) and over 150 correspondents spread across five continents.
In the United States, Reporters Without Borders is a 501c3 organization carrying out the mission to protect and defend journalists working both internationally and in the United States.
Americans treasure their First Amendment rights, but do not always realize the extent to which freedom of information is at risk globally, and how that affects their own right to be informed. Reporters Without Borders-USA (RWB-USA) seeks to raise awareness among Americans to this fact and getting Americans involved in preserving freedom of information at home and abroad.
With the help of a few intrepid supporters, Reporters Without Borders-USA was founded in 2004 in New York City with the objective to extend the international mission of Reporters Sans Frontieres in the United States. In 2005 RWB-USA moved its work to Washington DC to strengthen the effectiveness of its advocacy, and quickly won a solid reputation in DC as an outspoken defender of freedom of information.
Thanks to its staff, its board and its volunteering correspondents, RWB-USA plays a central role in the assistance of journalists and in the expansion of our grassroots activities, but also in the communication and the advocacy missions of the whole organization.
What we do
Journalists in emergency situations worldwide continuously contact RWB-USA looking for advice and emergency funds. Since the beginning of 2012, we have met dozens of journalists from Pakistan, Thailand, North Korea, Tibet, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Cuba, Ecuador, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Bahrain, Iran, Tunisia, Syria, Egypt and Georgia. These personal meetings are essential to strengthening our network worldwide.
In addition to these personal contacts to expand our grassroots networks, RWB-USA informs policy makers and advocates for freedom of information through regular meetings with the U.S. Department of State, the Congress and the White House.
The DC office plays a central role to share the whole organization experiences and knowledge and to increase solidarity among the next generation of journalists. For this purpose, RWB-USA organized in partnership with CNN a "For Press Freedom" student video contest across the United States. The winning video, selected by an international jury including the CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, aired on CNN on May 3, 2012.
Our DC Director, Delphine Halgand answers numerous interviews from American media (PBS, Voice of America, San Francisco Chronicle, Wall Street Journal,…), foreign media (Al Jazeera, NTN,…) and often lectures at university conferences. Since January, she has given speeches at – among others – Harvard University, George Washington University, UCLA and Western Washington University.
On World Press Freedom Day, May 3, 2012, she was invited to the United Nations Headquarters to give remarks on the new voices which help transform societies via the internet. This briefing was inaugurated by the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
Our last statements on the United States
Peter Mackler Award
RWB-USA partners with the Global Media Forum for the Peter Mackler Award which honors reporters and editors who have demonstrated a commitment to fairness in the story, and a matching commitment to defending the right to publish and air that story in countries who repress independent media.
