Press Freedom Centers
What is a Press Freedom Center?
In contexts of major press freedom crises and in order to provide journalists and media outlets with the equipment, assistance and resources they need to pursue their news and information missions as safely as possible, RSF has opened several press freedom centers.
RSF's Press Freedom Centers provide support and respond to the emergency needs of journalists and media, both local and international. Depending on the context and the needs identified, psychological, legal and financial support can be offered, as well as protective equipment. Training courses can also be organised to enable journalists to carry out their work in extreme security contexts, including: physical safety, first aid, digital safety, psychological safety, etc.
Beirut Regional Press Freedom Center
To support journalists in the region affected by the war in Gaza, RSF inaugurated a new regional press freedom center in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, on 21 March. To set up the centre for press freedom in Beirut, RSF joined forces with another local partner, the Samir Kassir Foundation, a long-standing partner working for press and cultural freedom in Lebanon and the Arab world.
While covering the repercussions of the war in Gaza, three journalists were killed in Lebanon, where the south of the country is the scene of regular strikes between Hezbollah and Israel. One of these killed Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah on 13 October, and another killed two Al-Mayadeen journalists, Farah Omar and Rabih Maamari, a month later.
This regional press freedom center is a continuation of RSF's work with journalists in the area since the outbreak of war on 7 October. In Gaza, RSF, with the help of its local partner Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ), has set up workspaces for journalists and provided professional equipment and basic necessities to Gazan reporters.
Through the center, RSF is opening a space for journalists to meet and work, and providing them with a range of protective equipment, such as helmets and bullet-proof waistcoats, first aid kits, psychological support, legal assistance and training in digital and physical security.
What support can journalists and the media get from the Beirut Press Freedom Center?
Free temporary loan of :
- bullet-proof waistcoats
- protective helmets
- individual trauma first aid kits
Beneficiaries must provide copies of their identity papers and sign a loan form.
Send a request by e-mail to the Beirut Press Freedom Center at the following address: [email protected].
Organisation of training sessions, according to identified needs, in collaboration with RSF's local partners.
Capacity building on the safety of journalists can also be browsed through RSF website for Journalists’ Safety, available in English, with content related to:
- digital security
- physical safety
- mental health
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List of useful capacity building resources :
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Journalists and media professionals can get free online individual psychological support funded by RSF, with full respect for safety, confidentiality and anonymity.
The caring.eutelmed.com platform is available for journalists to access :
- Individual counselling sessions with a professional psychologist (up to 10 sessions)
- a Resource Center with general information on mental health
- a Self-Assessment Center
- a 24/7 Careline (phone or messaging in more than 50 languages)
To get the access code, send an email to [email protected] or [email protected].
RSF also offers individual psychological consultations in person in Beirut with a professional psychologist.
Send a request by email to the Beirut Press Freedom Center at the following address: [email protected]
RSF can support journalists and media workers by providing financial assistance to cover the costs associated with :
- urgent relocation
- medical fees for journalists injured while reporting
- equipment support for freelance journalists whose professional material has been damaged or confiscated
All requests should be submitted to [email protected].
Through its media support fund, RSF can help media to continue operating and covering the war despite the safety and financial challenges they are facing.
The fund can be used, under strict conditions, to cover costs related to:
- relocation and safety of the teams;
- purchase of safety and professional equipment to keep working
- rent and salaries ;
- the development of a short term project (investigation, reportage, web documentary…).
This fund can not be used to create new media. It cannot be used by media facing a long term financial crisis, with no financial visibility.
All requests should be submitted to [email protected].
The Beirut Press Freedom Center provides an equipped workspace where journalists can work and access the necessary resources.
All requests should be sent to [email protected]
Lviv and Kyiv Press Freedom Centers in Ukraine
In the aftermath of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, RSF opened two Press Freedom Centers in Lviv on 10 March 2022 and in Kyiv on 17 May 2022, to provide journalists and media covering the war, whether Ukrainian or foreign, with the necessary equipment, assistance and resources to pursue their journalistic work as safely as possible.
As of February 2023, the Press Freedom Centers has provided support to more than 150 media and 1 500 journalists (including 1 150 Ukrainian journalists), notably in partnership with RSF’s partner the Institute of Mass Information (IMI). RSF also continues to vividly denounce attacks on journalists and media, and to investigate and litigate these crimes.
Why is this important?
A total of 12,000 Ukrainian and foreign journalists have been accredited to cover the war in Ukraine. Exposed to frequent bombardment and often deliberately targeted by Russian forces, they risk their lives every day to report what is happening. While the situation is particularly alarming for journalists in the occupied areas, all of the Ukrainian journalists and media have been hit hard by the war and its repercussions.
Since 24 February 2022, 11 reporters were killed and 35 were injured by gunfire. Of the 50 cases registered by RSF of journalists who came under rifle fire or artillery fire, at least 28 of them were deliberately targeted as journalists.
What support can journalists and the media get from the Centres for Press Freedom in Ukraine?
All requests can be sent to the common address of the Lviv and Kyiv Centers: [email protected]
In Lviv and Kyiv, over 750 journalists and media professionals accredited with the Ukrainian Armed Forces have benefitted from temporary and free loan of:
- bulletproof vests
- protective helmets
- trauma first aid kits
- solar power banks
The borrower will be asked to provide copies of ID and accreditation with Armed Forces, and to sign a loanform.
Send a request by email to RSF Press Freedom Centers at [email protected].
RSF, in partnership with the Institute of Mass Information, has launched an opportunity for the media to obtain power supply equipment. The opportunity is open only to those media that work in Ukraine and suffer from a blackout caused by Russian shelling.
96 Ukrainian media in 14 oblasts have already received support through this programme with :
- generators
- solar charging stations
- solar power banks
To apply for equipment, please fill out this online form.
Please note that the number of equipment is limited and the times of delivery can stretch to several months.
Send a request by email to RSF Press Freedom Centers at [email protected].
Since 24 February 2022, more than 300 journalists and media professionals were trained in Ukraine to better be able to face war-related risks in the course of their work.
Please apply here for the following training programmes :
- physical safety and first aid (3-day Hostile Environment Awareness Training)
- psychological safety
- digital safety
Capacity building on the safety of journalists can also be browsed through RSF website for Journalists’ Safety, available in English and now in Ukrainian as well, with content related to
- digital security
- physical safety
- mental health
|
List of useful capacity building resources :
|
Journalists and media professionals covering the war can get free online individual psychological support funded by RSF, with full respect for safety, confidentiality and anonymity.
The caring.eutelmed.com platform is available for journalists to access :
- Individual counselling sessions with a professional psychologist (up to 10 sessions)
- a Resource Center with general information on mental health
- a Self-Assessment Center
- a 24/7 Careline (phone or messaging in more than 50 languages)
To get the access code, send an email to [email protected] or [email protected].
In partnership with the Institute of Mass Information (IMI), RSF has supported 130 Ukrainian journalists with financial assistance grants to cover costs related to :
- urgent relocation
- medical fees for journalists injured while reporting
- equipment support for freelance journalists whose professional material has been damaged or confiscated
All requests should be submitted to [email protected].
From 24 February 2022, many Ukrainian media outlets saw their main financial resources such as advertising suddenly disappear. While it is crucial to keep providing independent and verified information in this context, a lot of media outlets are facing major difficulties to keep paying the salaries of their journalists covering the events going on in Ukraine.
Most of those media outlets have turned to international donors to ask for support. However, those donors usually have long processes and it takes time for them to give an answer to the applications for support they receive. In the meantime, local media outlets were struggling to cover their working costs.
In this situation, RSF media support fund is more relevant than ever: the agility of the fund enables it to provide a quick answer to media outlets which need emergency financial support to keep documenting the local situation.
Through its media support fund, RSF has helped 30 Ukrainian media to continue operating and covering the war despite the safety and financial challenges they are facing.
The fund can be used, under strict conditions, to cover costs related to:
- relocation and safety of the teams;
- purchase of safety and professional equipment to keep working
- rent and salaries ;
- the development of a short term project (investigation, reportage, web documentary…).
This fund can not be used to create new media. It cannot be used by media facing a long term financial crisis, with no financial visibility.
All requests should be submitted to [email protected].
