New website to fight censorship

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 publishtheir storiesin their country's newspapers, TV or radio.

The website is not meant to be platform like WikiLeaks and isnot intended to bea place for tabloid stories, Spielkamp explained. The project is getting financial support from the European Union, the city of Paris and from donations.

Support for censored authors

One of the first stories published is from Morocco, whereOmar Brouksy is no longer allowed to workas a publisher. In October, the government withdrew his accreditation because the journalist had beenoverly critical of the royal family's role during a recentelection.

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 explainswhy each story is being censored.

The website offers to publish anymaterial 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 writtenin English or France, they will be translated for the page. All the material will also be offered for download, and even outrightcopying of an entire workisencouraged. Readers can post the stories on social media networks as well as on a list of regional services.

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New website to fight censorship