THE Rwanda Journalists Association has accused the French NGO, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), of publishing false and baseless reports about the government’s treatment of journalists in the country. Indeed the France-based NGO has consistently put out reports that are far removed from reality, and do not in any way reflect the situation of journalists in Rwanda. The government of Rwanda has since 1994 made impressive strides in developing the journalism profession, by not only putting in place the necessary infrastructure, but also creating an enabling environment The Rwandan leadership has always interacted with both local and international reporters. In recent years, we have seen the liberalization of the airwaves that has led to the setting up of many radio stations in addition to the numerous newspapers that are published in the country. It is imperative that responsible and constructive media take root in Rwanda, and that necessitates regulation to check unprofessional conduct. It is, therefore, unacceptable that RSF should turn Rwanda into a punching bag, with what are clearly political motivated reports. The consistency and virulence with which RSF has gone about this campaign of slander, exposes the true intentions of the organization. Their lies must be denounced, and more importantly, by local journalists who are better informed. Ends
