40 years of RSF, 40 years of press freedom history

Since the day it was created, RSF has never stopped defending the right to inform and be informed all over the world. Founded by four reporters in a southern French city, it is now recognised as a public interest association in France and a leading international non-governmental organisation (NGO), with a vast network of correspondents, representatives, bureaus and sections on five continents. RSF also has consultative status with the United Nations, among other institutions. Its mission is to protect journalists, denounce censorship, support media pluralism and promote freely and independently reported news and information.

1985: the birth of RSF in Montpellier

Four journalists - Robert Ménard, Rémy Loury, Jacques Molénat and Émilien Jubineau - create RSF. Their original mission is to preport on-the-ground from places consumed by humanitarian crises to prevent the initial attention given to these conflicts fading into indifference.

1988: Information Observatory launch

In 1988, RSF has two employees and a budget of approximately 500,000 French francs (around 76,000 EUR). After over a year of research, "L'information dans le monde, 206 pays au microscope," ("Information in the world, 206 countries under the microscope", published by Seuil) is published in the spring of 1989. This œuvre of more than 600 pages lists the main media outlets in each country, giving their degree of independence from the political authorities and the scope of action available to journalists in their work. It is the precursor of the World Press Freedom Index.

1989: First sponsorship campaign

RSF launches a sponsorship operation for imprisoned journalists that involves asking French media outlets to "adopt" a detained journalist by pressing for their release and keeping their audience informed of progress in the journalist's situation.

1990: Debate about criticising media outlets
Jean-Claude Guillebaud, RSF president from 1987 to 1993, leads an internal debate to ensure the organisation continues to be a space for reflecting on journalism while maintaining solidarity campaigns for endangered journalists. His articles "Les médias contre le journalisme" ("The Media Against Journalism", 1990, Le Débat) and "Les médias contre la démocratie"("The Media Against Democracy", 1993, Esprit) and conferences organised in the early 1990s to examine media practices, propose a clear distinction between the media sphere and the practice of journalism.

1991: Creation of RSF International

RSF seeks to coordinate the activities of its worldwide sections as it expands beyond France. Today, RSF has 15 international bureaus and sections.

1992: Launch of the RSF Press Freedom Prize

RSF begins giving awards to journalists who continue their work despite threats and censorship. Bosnian journalist Zlatko Dizdarevicbecomes the first recipient of the RSF Prize in 1992. Subsequent RSF award winners include Liu Xiaobo, who receives the award in 2004 before going on to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010. Iranian journalist Narges Mohammadireceives the RSF Award for Courage in 2022 before winning the Nobel Peace Prize the following year - illustrating the award's status as a Nobel Peace Prize precursor. Palestinian journalist Wael al-Dahdouh receives the RSF Press Freedom Prizein the same category in 2024. 1992 is also the year in which World Press Freedom Day is celebrated internationally for the first time, after originally being launched by RSFon 20 April 1991, and before being proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly on 3 May 1993.

1993: Campaign for the newspaper Oslobodjenje

RSF gets the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to transport 10 cubic meters of paper each month to the Sarajevo-based daily newspaper Oslobodjenje. In 1993, RSF has 17 employees, 400 members and a budget of 6.5 million French francs (about 1 million EUR).

1995: Launch of the RSF Assistance Fund
In the same year, RSF is officially recognised as a public interest organisation in France and creates an emergency aid programme to provide financial and material assistance to endangered journalists and their families. Today, RSF aids journalists in over 65 countries, helping them with emergency resettlement when they are threatened, addressing their legal and psychological needs, and replacing equipment. In 2024, RSF assisted more than 700 journalists and 40 media outlets worldwide.

2001: Creation of a media office

RSF takes a very early interest in online censorship and the opportunities for circumventing censorship that the internet provides. RSF registers rsf.orgas its domain name in 2000 and quickly begins circulating its content online.

2002: Launch of the World Press Freedom Index
This benchmark annual ranking of the state of journalism in 180 countries and territories begins by evaluating 139 countries in 2002, and quickly becomes a leading international barometer of press freedom. RSF also founds its legal arm, the Réseau Damoclès(the "Damocles network")., in 1992.

2005: RSF obtains consultative status with the United Nations (UN) and is awarded the Sakharov Prize
The Sakharov Prizefor Freedom of Thought is awarded to RSF by the European Parliament for outstanding contributions to the defence of freedom of thought and human rights. This award, along with consultative status with the UN, allow RSF to intervene directly in international bodies to defend journalists.

2007: Exceptional protest against the Beijing Olympics

RSF carries out a spectacular protest a year before the 2008 Olympics. To condemn the persecution of journalists in China, a team led by Robert Ménard and Jean-François Julliard (who later succeeds him as the head of RSF) unfurl a huge banner on the façade of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris that portrays the Olympic rings as handcuffs. RSF calls for a boycott of the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony and disrupts the lighting of the Olympic flame in Olympia, Greece.

2008: Jean-François Julliard succeeds Robert Ménard

After joining RSF to cover the Asia region and then serving as head of its Africa desk, Jean-François Julliard became Director General in 2008, taking over from Robert Ménard as head of RSF. Under his leadership, the first bureau in Africa is opened in Tunis, the capital of Tunisia, in 2011.

2010: Campaign for journalists held hostage in Afghanistan
RSF organises a worldwide campaign for the release of French journalists Hervé Ghesquièreand Stéphane Taponierand their Afghan translator, to show solidarity between journalists. The hostages are releasedafter a year and a half in captivity.

2014: Campaign for Turkish journalist Can Dündar
After months of campaigning by RSF, Turkish journalist Can Dündar, the editor of the daily newspaper Cumhuriyet, is finally released on 26 February 2015. His detention for 92 days for revealing arms shipments to Syria had sparked a wave of international outrage, especially as his newspaper had just been awarded the RSF-TV5 Monde Press Freedom Prize. RSF led a vigorous campaignto condemn this attack on press freedom, a campaign that became a symbol of independent journalism's resistance against authoritarian regimes.

2015: UN Security Council's adoption of Resolution 2222

RSF playsa key role in the UN Security Council's adoption of Resolution 2222, dedicated to the protection of journalists in war zones. RSF conducts intensive advocacy work with member states to ensure that press freedom and the safety of reporters are recognised as essential aspects of peacekeeping.

2017: Launch of the Forbidden Stories project
RSF and the Freedom Voices Network launcha project called Forbidden Stories that is designed to secure the research data of threatened journalists so their investigations can be continued if they are murdered or arrested. After incubating the project, RSF hands over full management to the Freedom Voices Network.

2018: Launch of International Declaration on Information and Democracy

Seventy years after the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in Paris, RSF launches the International Declaration on Information and Democracy, which reaffirms the essential principles governing the global information and communication space, defined as a "common good of humankind" in its preamble.

2019: Launch of Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI)
RSF launches the Journalism Trust Initiative, a trustworthy journalism standard (CWA 17493:2019) developed under the supervision of the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) by 130 media organisations, journalists' associations, publishers' associations, regulatory and self-regulatory bodies and other information sector stakeholders to promote independent, pluralistic and reliable journalism. By 2025, nearly 2,400 media outlets in 126 countries use the JTIstandard to evaluate their efforts as regards transparency, ethics and accountability, as well as the robustness of their editorial processes. Of these, 830 had published their transparency report and 130 had obtained JTI certification.

2020: #HoldTheLine for Maria Ressa

At a time when Filipino journalist Maria Ressa is being subjected to relentless judicial harassment, RSF, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) join forces in the #HoldTheLinecampaign to support her and defend independent journalism in the Philippines. She receives the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021.

2021: RSF evacuates journalists from Afghanistan

As soon as Kabul falls to the Taliban on 15 August 2021, thousands of Afghan journalists begin trying to flee the country because they fear harsh reprisals. To respond to the urgency of the situation, RSF compiles a list of the most vulnerable journalists and seeks international assistance with their immediate evacuation from Afghanistan along with their family members. In total, more than 200 evacuations are facilitated.

2022: RSF opens two Press Freedom Centres in Ukraine

Within days of Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine, RSF establishes its first regional centre in Lviv on 10 March 2022. On 17 May 2022, RSF expands its operations to Kyiv, the capital, opening a second centre in partnership with the Institute of Mass Information (IMI), its long-standing partner in Ukraine. Since then, RSF has helped more than 2,000 journalists and 229 media outlets through these centres and in partnership with several Ukrainian organisations.

2023: Paris Charter on AI

Along with 16 partners, RSF launches the Paris Charteron Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Journalism to regulate the use of AI in the media. RSF brings together experts, journalists and technology stakeholders to define ethical principles to safeguard the reliability of news and information and the transparency of digital information tools. The charter aims to preserve journalistic integrity in the face of the risks of manipulation and disinformation linked to AI.

February 2024: Historic French ruling in response to RSF appeal

On 13 February 2024, the French Council of State overrulesthe national broadcasting regulator's refusal to issue a warning to the 24-hour television news channel CNews. The decision is a major win for RSF, which was at the origin of the case: in November 2021, RSF had asked the broadcasting regulator, known as Arcom, to warn CNewsthat it was not complying with the truthfulness, independence and pluralism requirements that French law imposes on the country's news broadcast media. When Arcom refused, RSF filed a complaint with the Council of State, France's highest administrative court.

In its ruling, the Council of State says Arcom had failed to use its powers appropriately - a victory that forces Arcom to review its regulation methods.

March 2024: Launch of the Svoboda satellite package

To counter propaganda and ensure Russian-speakers can access independent news sources, RSF makes an agreement with Eutelsat, the world's leading TV satellite operator, on 7 November 2023 leading to the launchof the Svoboda satellite service on 5 March 2024. This provides reliable news reporting to approximately 5.3 million households in Russia and in Ukraine's occupied territories.

June 2024: Death of Christophe Deloire

Christophe Deloire, RSF Director General since 2012, dies on 8 June 2024. Under his leadership, RSF had boosted its international influence and launched several major initiatives. His death saddens the media world, where he is renowned as a tireless advocate for press freedom and independent journalism.

September 2024: The campaign for Sahel community media

In response to the decline in the security situation in the Sahel region of Africa, RSF launches efforts to supporting community radio stations and other local news media that are struggling to keep the public informed. The NGO conducts trainings and carries out protection and advocacy work on their behalf. On 24 September 2024, RSF launches an appeal for the protection of these broadcasters alongside 500 community radio stations in the Sahel. In 2025, RSF releases its documentary"Community Radio: the fight to keep the Sahel informed," which receives its first public screeningin Dakar and is later broadcast by the European public television channel Arte.

September 2025: Launch of the Propaganda Monitor

This new project aims to inform and take action against the mechanisms behind propaganda and disinformation by exposing their geopolitical targets and proposing ways to strengthen access to reliable news and information. RSF assembles a network of international experts for the first edition, which is dedicated to Kremlin propaganda from Russia.

November 2025: RSF celebrates its 40th birthday
The NGO's 40th anniversary is celebrated by the festival "Informing Tomorrow's World" at the Gaîté Lyrique cultural centre in Paris, the international exhibition "Photographing Tomorrow's World" and the publication of an RSF anniversary photo albumthat features a collaboration with the renowned Japanese animation company Studio Ghibli.