Reporters Without Borders

What Reporters Without Borders does

Reporters Without Borders (RSF; legally Reporters sans frontières) is a Paris-headquartered, French-registered nonprofit founded in 1985 that defends press freedom and the right to information worldwide. It maintains a correspondent network in 149 countries and serves three constituencies: journalists facing threats, imprisonment, or violence; governments and international bodies it lobbies for stronger legal protections; and the general public it mobilizes through campaigns, petitions, and donations. Its flagship outputs are the annual World Press Freedom Index covering 180 countries and a real-time Barometer tracking journalists killed and detained, both built on expert surveys and field reporting rather than automated systems.

RSF's product surface consists of publications and tools rather than commercial software. Core offerings include the World Press Freedom Index, the Barometer, the Propaganda Monitor, the Information & Democracy initiative (anchored by a Commission and a Partnership signed by 43 governments), the Collateral Freedom censorship-circumvention project, the Protect Journalists program distributing approximately 300 grants per year for legal fees, medical costs, and equipment, the Journalism Trust Initiative for media standards, the Digital Security Lab, the Svoboda satellite broadcasting project, regional Press Freedom Centers, and the Spinoza research project. Technology plays a supporting role: there is no proprietary AI/ML stack, and the Digital Security Lab focuses on tooling and guidance rather than model development.

RSF's revenue model is nonprofit donation-driven, with no disclosed pricing or commercial contracts. Funding comes from individual donations, membership fees, and institutional grants, supplemented by photo book sales through its online store. Distribution is digital-first via rsf.org, email, and a multilingual social media presence (English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Russian, Persian, Turkish). RSF USA, an affiliated 501(c)(3), handles US fundraising. Governance is led by Secretary-General Christophe Deloire and Director of Publication Thibaut Bruttin, with Pierre Haski as President.

Name

Reporters Without Borders

Legal name

Reporters sans frontières

Website

https://rsf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is a Paris-based international nonprofit founded in 1985 that defends press freedom globally through a 149-country correspondent network, the annual World Press Freedom Index, real-time abuse tracking, journalist grants, and policy advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Press Freedom Advocacy

NAICS

Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations (MPAJADAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Media Relations & Press Office Services (BPAFADAF)

Keywords

• Press freedom advocacy
• Journalist protection
• Censorship circumvention
• Press freedom monitoring
• Journalist safety grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Membership: RSF relies primarily on public donations and membership fees to fund its operations. The organization maintains donor relations and accepts one-time and recurring donations through its website.
2. Photo Book Sales: RSF operates an online store selling photography books, with all profits supporting the organization's press freedom activities.
3. Grants to Journalists: RSF provides approximately 300 grants per year to journalists in need, helping them pay legal fees, medical expenses, professional equipment, or supporting families of imprisoned journalists.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Reporters Without Borders is a nonprofit advocacy organization that defends press freedom worldwide through monitoring, advocacy, and direct assistance to journalists. It publishes the annual World Press Freedom Index ranking 180 countries, maintains a real-time Barometer of journalist abuses, operates initiatives including Collateral Freedom (censorship circumvention), Protect Journalists (grants and assistance), Journalism Trust Initiative (standards), Digital Security Lab, and Svoboda Satellite. The organization funds these programs via donations, membership, grants, and proceeds from photography book sales.

Product overview

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is a non-profit international advocacy organization focused on defending press freedom globally. The organization operates as a unified advocacy platform rather than a commercial product company, offering monitoring tools (World Press Freedom Index, Barometer), research publications (Reports), and specialized initiatives including censorship circumvention (Collateral Freedom), journalist protection (Protect Journalists program with ~300 annual grants), media standards (Journalism Trust Initiative), digital security research (Digital Security Lab), satellite broadcasting (Svoboda Satellite), and regional Press Freedom Centers. These programs work together to document abuses, provide assistance to journalists, and advocate for press freedom worldwide through a network operating in 149 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• World Press Freedom Index Annual global ranking of press freedom covering 180 countries, evaluating political, economic, legal, social, and security indicators through expert surveys.
• Barometer Real-time tracker documenting abuses against journalists worldwide, including killings, detentions, and attacks.
• Protect Journalists Program providing practical support including approximately 300 grants annually to journalists in need for legal fees, medical expenses, or professional equipment, and to families of journalists in prison.
• Information and Democracy Global initiative creating safeguards for the online information and communication domain, involving 43 governments through the Partnership for Information and Democracy.
• Collateral Freedom Project using mirror sites and DNS workarounds to circumvent censorship of news websites in authoritarian countries.
• Journalism Trust Initiative Initiative promoting trustworthy journalism through standards and best practices for media outlets.
• Digital Security Lab Research initiative focused on digital security issues affecting journalists and media organizations, and on developing tools and guidance to protect them.
• Svoboda Satellite Satellite-based broadcasting initiative to deliver news to regions with restricted media access.
• Press Freedom Centers Regional centers providing localized support and advocacy for press freedom in specific geographic areas.
• Propaganda Monitor Project monitoring and analyzing propaganda activities, particularly Kremlin propaganda geopolitics.
• Reports Investigative reports and publications produced by RSF's regional offices documenting press freedom violations.
• Spinoza Project Research project focused on press freedom and journalist protection.

Quantifiable outcome

• 470 journalists and media workers currently detained worldwide (as of June 2026)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and flagship.

• Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Observatoire Kisal, International Federation for Human RightsmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 June 2026Five international human rights organizations including RSF jointly called on Burkina Faso to release journalist Atiana Serge Oulon, who was forcibly disappeared two years ago. RSF conducted an exclusive investigation revealing secret detention by state security forces.
• TRIAL InternationalmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 May 2026RSF and TRIAL International jointly filed complaints against Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for complicity in torture and enforced disappearance related to the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. A French investigating judge was appointed to lead a formal inquiry.
• Google (Android)coreTechnology or Integration · 13 May 2026RSF partnered with Google and Amnesty International to develop Intrusion Logging, a new Android security feature designed to help high-risk users such as journalists and human rights activists detect potential spyware attacks. The feature is part of Android's Advanced Protection Mode and stores encrypted logs in users' Google cloud accounts.
• Amnesty InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 May 2026Amnesty International collaborated with RSF and Google to develop the Intrusion Logging Android security feature to protect journalists and human rights activists from spyware and forensic tool attacks.
• Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 April 2026RSF and CPJ jointly warned that Iran is using an 83-day internet blackout to hide press crackdowns, coordinating advocacy to draw international attention to the situation.
• Information and Democracy CommissionflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 March 2026RSF created the Information and Democracy Commission in 2018, bringing together 25 members including Maria Ressa to develop democratic safeguards for the online information domain. The Commission produced the Declaration on Information and Democracy signed by 43 governments, and the Forum on Information and Democracy published 250 recommendations to combat infodemics.
• European Broadcasting Union (EBU)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 November 2025RSF and the EBU jointly released an open letter urging the European Union to ensure effective access to reliable information for all citizens. The organizations also called for strengthening the Democracy Shield ahead of EU elections.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Committee to Protect Journalists: Direct peer in journalist safety and press freedom advocacy. CPJ maintains parallel global monitoring, issues rapid-response alerts, and jointly coordinates advocacy with RSF (e.g., Iran internet blackout warning).
• Amnesty International: Global human rights NGO with overlapping journalist protection mandate and a co-development partnership with RSF on Android's Intrusion Logging security feature.
• Human Rights Watch: International human rights organization with overlapping advocacy, country reporting, and joint campaigns with RSF (e.g., Burkina Faso journalist disappearance appeal).
• International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH): Paris-headquartered federation of human rights NGOs that co-signed joint advocacy actions with RSF, sharing a similar Paris-based, French-anchored operational model.
• Article 19: International freedom of expression organization focused on defending and promoting Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights — a direct thematic peer to RSF's mandate.
• Index on Censorship: UK-based organization promoting freedom of expression, tracking press freedom violations, and producing an annual index — comparable in scope and mission to RSF.
• PEN International: Global literary and free expression network that defends writers and journalists at risk — overlapping constituency (journalists/writers) and similar advocacy-led NGO model.

Emerging players

• Internews: International media development NGO supporting independent media worldwide — overlaps with RSF's media sustainability and journalist support programs but focuses more on capacity building than advocacy.

Broad incumbents

• European Broadcasting Union (EBU): Alliance of public service broadcasters that partnered with RSF on EU information-access advocacy. Operates in adjacent media-freedom space as a much larger incumbent organization.
• Transparency International: Berlin-headquartered global anti-corruption NGO with similar advocacy-NGO model, annual country index, and global correspondent network — comparable in scale, governance, and funding structure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/rsf_rwb
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/RSFinternet
• Facebookfacebook.com/Reporterssansfrontieres
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/504136

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Reporters Without Borders