WASHINGTON – As the coronavirus continues to spread, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) journalists have increasingly found themselves caught between the needs of citizens for reliable information and the efforts of authoritarian governments to control the public’s understanding of events.
“People in 22 countries depend on our journalism, which is providing critical information to help them protect themselves and keep their families and communities safe,” said RFE/RL President Jamie Fly. “But at the same time, we are facing multiple restrictions and threats from authorities who see the independent media as an obstacle to their efforts to control information for their own purposes. Despite this growing pressure, our journalists will not be deterred from our mission of providing objective journalism to our audiences at a time when they need it more than ever.”