http://www.rsf.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=20

Http://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/reporters_without_borders_the_internets_black_holes?size=_original

In 1985 the non-governmental organization Reporters Without Borders was formed in Montpellier, France.  The organization’s initial goal was to promote alternative news agencies.  After a period of infighting amongst the founders, the goal ultimately shifted to promoting “ the right to freedom of opinion and expression.”  RWB calls upon several documents, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to affirm their battle against information censorship.

The organization is responsible for proliferating literature, articles and various other forms of media pertaining to the global struggle against oppression. 

The second link listed above leads to a website of advertisements.  The advertisement presented is an interesting visual representation of the global Internet network.  It states that there are fifteen nations in the world in which news is not freely allowed to disseminate.  This simplified statistic presents the global network as one in which these fifteen nodes have essentially become ‘black holes.’  These fifteen nations have been labeled extreme offenders by RWB.  Each nation practices different levels, methods and ideologies regarding oppression.  For instance, in China Wikipedia.com and Google.com are both heavily regulated.  The Ministry of Public Security blocks all entries and keywords pertaining to democracy, freedom, human rights and censorship.  Their efforts have earned the title “The Great Firewall of China.” (Get it?) China’s closure to the outside world has received particularly stinging criticism because they are becoming an otherwise more progressive player on the world stage. 

In addition to releasing articles and media, Reporters Without Borders also releases an annual worldwide press freedom index.  The index is more substantive than the network image, and it also provides a numerical color-coded gradient which is far more informative. (See Below)  The global gradient effectively demonstrates the complexity and variety of censorship around the world.  The index however is not without its flaws.  The survey is formulated based on the responses from reporters stationed around the world.  Unfortunately, these respondents often times fall victim to governmental pressure, particularly within oppressive regimes.  Also, Reporters Without Borders has come under fire for taking funds from the National Endowment for Democracy, which in turn receives funding from the US State Department.  It has been argued that RWB has skewed information in a US backed smear campaign against non-compliant nations like Cuba and Venezuela. 

Despite these criticisms, Reporters Without Borders still galvanizes the debate about the global information network.