Reporters Without Borders, Reporters Without Scruples

Doctors Without Borders had a wonderful name; they came up with it in 1971. Flashforward to 1985. An unrelated group, Reporters Without Borders was formed to— Well, the official story is to fight censorship, but if you follow the rule of “follow the money,” the answer is different. Their paymasters were the National Endowment for Democracy, the newly created front to continue the work of the CIA in supporting neoconservative goals around the world, as well as the Center for a Free Cuba (who, in an aesthetically pleasing bit of bookkeeping chicanery, are in turn funded by NED).

Just as the CIA opposed democracy in the 1950s, NED opposes it today. For example:

ZNet - Reporters Without Borders Fraud

the NED financed and continues financing the Venezuelan opposition, responsible for the coup d’état against President Chávez, April 2002. Since then, the Venezuelan oligarchy has organized, with the help of Washington, several unsuccessful destabilization attempts, since the failure of the recall referendum, the popular legitimacy of Mr. Chávez has been only reinforced.

For an organization that claims to be concerned with the safety of reporters, its priorities are curious:

Diana Barahona: Reporters Without Borders Unmasked

From the beginning, RSF has made Cuba its No. 1 target. Allegedly founded to advocate freedom of the press around the world and to help journalists under attack, the organization has called Cuba “the world’s biggest prison for journalists.” It even gives the country a lower ranking on its press freedom index than countries where journalists routinely have been killed, such as Colombia, Peru and Mexico.

Spinwatch - Reporters Without Borders Financed by CIA

Reporters without Borders mounted a campaign in 2002 characterizing the
trial and imprisonment in Cuba of more than two dozen journalists, among 75 “dissidents,” as a violation of human rights. The Cuban government insisted that the accused were mercenary agitators paid by the US to
pose as “independent journalists.” As Granma reported, “none of them even passed through a journalism faculty or school of journalism and never wrote a single line of journalism.”

The deceit of Reporters Without Borders

RSF establishes their annual index that includes 169 countries. According to the organization’s figures, 105 journalists were murdered over the year. Iraq were at least 62 were killed was the most dangerous place, followed by Mexico (8), Somalia (7), Pakistan (4), Afghanistan (4), Sri Lanka (2) y Eritrea (2). It would be no surprise if these countries ended up with the lowest scores. However, with the exception of Eritrea ranking 169th, this is not the case. In the end, Robert Ménard’s political and ideological criterion overshadowed the rest. (5)

How is it that Eritrea, where only two journalists were murdered, ended up ranked below Iraq (157), Mexico (136), Somalia (159), Pakistan (152), Afghanistan (142) and Sri Lanka (156)? Perhaps because that nation is on Washington’s black list and RSF receives funding from the CIA front National Endowment for Democracy, NED? (7)

Likewise what is the explanation for Cuba ranking 165 when not one journalist has been killed there since 1959? Why is this nation ranked below Iraq, Mexico, Somalia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Brazil (84), China (163), United States (48), Haiti (75), Nepal (137), Paraguay (90), Peru (117), Democratic Republic of the Congo (133), Turkey (101) and Zimbabwe (149), where at least one journalist has been killed? RSF explains that Cuba’s poor ranking is due to journalists being imprisoned. Just supposing the organization is correct on this point –which is actually far from being the case-, wouldn’t killing journalists still be more serious than imprisoning them?

Also worthwhile:

Diana Barahona and Jeb Sprague: Reporters Without Borders and Washington’s Coups