Reporters Without Borders releases its 63rd album for press freedom. A new formula accompanied by a campaign in kiosks. The opportunity for Christophe Deloire, the general secretary of RSF, to warn against the blackout of the press in China and the propaganda of Beijing on the coronavirus, on Europe 1 Wednesday.

INTERVIEW

Reporters Without Borders' 63rd album for press freedom pays tribute to photographer Philippe Halsman, known for his portraits of stars he blew up. A new album and a new formula, with enriched contents and strong testimonies. The secretary general of RSF, Christophe Deloire takes advantage of his passage in "Culture Media", Wednesday, to recall that we must be wary of the declarations of the Chinese authorities on the epidemic of coronavirus. Because in China, unlike France, journalists are not free.

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"In China, the blogger who made the most revelations about the coronavirus has disappeared"

RSF number 63 is accompanied by a campaign "Here we defend press freedom" in kiosks to show that "newsagents are essential elements of this chain of press freedom", underlines Christophe Deloire. "In countries where newsagents select news, like in China, the freedom of the journalist no longer makes sense," he warns.

Not only is information controlled in China, but it is also muzzled when it is deemed threatening to the interests of the government. "In China, the blogger who had made the most revelations about the coronavirus has disappeared. Bloggers have disappeared, simply, without leaving any news ... Obviously, they have been imprisoned," said the journalist.

"In France, we have journalists who can investigate freely"

For him, one cannot trust the statements of the Chinese authorities, as when they declare that the epidemic is declining in China. "Can we believe in a despotic regime when it does its propaganda?", He points out. Christophe Deloire adds that if, at the beginning, the Chinese press was able to speak a little about the epidemic, "all of a sudden, it closed." "When there is a blackout, when you are condemned to listen to Beijing propaganda, you have reason to be wary," he said.

This distrust of information from the Chinese authorities is healthy. That faced with information given by the French press is not. "In France, and whatever the skepticism with regard to journalists, we have journalists who can freely investigate these questions", supports Christophe Deloire. What constitutes "a major difference" to remind "those who think that we are not a democracy at all and who criticize the media or sometimes profess hatred towards them".

RSF has worked for press freedom since 1985. And the sale of his photography albums (9.90 euros per issue) is used to finance his actions around the world.