AFP Foundation donates 25 laptops to reporters in poor countries

The computers will be handed over to the Paris-based organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) at a ceremony in AFP’s headquarters on Friday. They are part of a stock which the agency, the Foundation’s parent company, is renewing.

Last year, the Foundation took part in a program launched by RSF to help the Haitian media recover from the catastrophic earthquake which hit their country on January 12, 2010.

"We are happy to be able to contribute once again to the efforts of Reporters Without Borders to help journalists who work in countries where it is dangerous to be a journalist and who often lack the means to do their job,” said AFP Chief Executive Emmanuel Hoog. “I am delighted by the cooperation between our foundation and aid organizations."

Jean-François Julliard, Secretary General of RSF, thanked the AFP Foundation, saying: “We will be able to help 25 journalists to work more effectively. We are grateful to the Foundation for its contribution to press freedom. Computers represent independent information which can be passed on and shared. We thank AFP for its support."

The AFP Foundation was established in July, 2007 to promote freedom of expression through media training courses in developing countries.

About AFP Foundation:

The AFP Foundation is a not-for-profit organization set up in July 2007 by Agence France-Presse to provide training to journalists in developing countries. Its mission is to raise professional standards and defend press freedom. It supports efforts to improve the working conditions of journalists and to elevate the status of women in the news media. The trainings may target any subject, from elections coverage to the basics of agency writing or corporate governance.

About Reporters Without Borders:

Reporters Without Borders, an organization defending freedom of information, identifies and denounces violations of the freedom to produce and access information anywhere in the world. The organization was founded in 1985 and has 150 correspondents and 10 regional offices. It communicates about violence against journalists and netizens, acts of censorship imposed on the media and legal restrictions on the activities of the press. Its New Media division provides technical intelligence in the Internet sector. The Assistance department provides financial aid and administrative support for journalists in difficulty. The Legal Committee of Reporters Without Borders offers its expertise on issues of law concerning freedom of information.