Deutsche Welle, 2 december 2021
In many
countries, journalists have to fight censorship when trying to publish critical
stories. The organization Reporters Without Borders has launched a website to
publish stories otherwise suppressed by the censors.
When
something is banned, it's bound get people curious. Videos and images that are
suppressed, therefore, often spread like wildfire on the Internet: the topless
photos of Kate Middleton, future queen of England, were online everywhere
within hours. And it's this principle that Reporters Without Borders now wants
to use for journalistic content.
"We
believe that there has to be a platform to publish stories that are being
censored in the very countries where they should be published," Matthias
Spielkamp, board member of Reporter Without Borders in Germany, told DW. The focus
is explicitly on well-researched features by journalists who, because of a lack
of press freedom, cannot publish their stories in their country's newspapers,
TV or radio.
The website
is not meant to be platform like WikiLeaks and is not intended to be a place
for tabloid stories, Spielkamp explained. The project is getting financial
support from the European Union, the city of Paris and from donations.
 |
Reporters Without Borders presents stories in their entirety and
explains why they were censored
|
Support for censored authors
One of the
first stories published is from Morocco, where Omar Brouksy is no longer
allowed to work as a publisher. In October, the government withdrew his
accreditation because the journalist had been overly critical of the royal
family's role during a recent election.
Brouksy's
text, however, continues to be available online. Reporters Without Borders
published the piece in agreement with the author on their website,
wefightcensorship.org. Online with text, the page also explains why each story
is being censored.
The website
offers to publish any material that's being censored in an author's home
country. Articles are sent anonymously, and in a way that the author's identity
cannot be traced. Reporters Without Borders, which itself does ask for the
author's identity to check whether the story is credible, offers to keep the
writers anonymous for their own protection, explained Spielkamp.
Should the
stories not be written in English or France, they will be translated for the
page. All the material will also be offered for download, and even outright
copying of an entire work is encouraged. Readers can post the stories on social
media networks as well as on a list of regional services.
More
security than a blog
 |
| Spielkamp says the focus is on well-researched features |
The
Internet offers many options to journalists and citizens to spread information
online. Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez, for instance, is well known despite being
faced with censorship in her country. She manages to circumvent the many
obstacles to publish her stories, and her popularity partly protects her from
the consequences of her dangerous work.
Spielkamp,
however, warns of trying to do something similar without the help of his
organization. "It's often very dangerous for journalists in authoritarian
countries to start their own platforms," he explained. It's also often
easy to trace the identity of the authors.
The team
behind wefightcensorship.org, though, promises anonymity – both to the authors
and the protagonists of the stories – and at the same time guarantees the
credibility of each work. "It's striking a balance," said Spielkamp.
"With every story you have to assess: Is this credible to us? Can
we publish this or not?"
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