RSF Germany Issues Scandalous Report on Press Freedom

This was a difficult video to decide to make. I have a lot of respect for what RSF International (@rsfinternational) does to protect journalists, but what Reporter Ohne Grenzen (@reporterohnegrenzen) has done in Germany is a breach of norms and conventions for a respectable organization that bases its mandate on human rights and journalistic standards.

The report they issued is far too aligned with the German state and barely questions its flawed rhetoric. It sidelines journalists and places blame on anti-genocide protesters.

Since when do we treat lies, slander and unethical practices as journalism?

What’s missing from the video is the absence of critique of how the journalists the cite are coordinating with the police against protesters and the state’s bias against anyone reporting something positive about the protests. This is evident in the police making up rules, the latest of which is banning raising the Kuffeya as it ‘hinders press freedoms’. The epitome of this, absent from reporting, is when police forced in ‘their journalists’ into a private event called Palestina Kongress under the guise of freedom of press.

Reporter Ohne Grenzen dismisses evidence of police assaults and claims they have no proof. They set out a call in December 2024 for these assaults, very late just to cover themselves while issuing this report.

*sidenote: only one of the journalists I mention works for Axel Springer