Compare: who did what, when: surveillance and subpoenas

Each row is a tactic and each column a country. A cell lists the dated incidents in which that country's government used that tactic, with the head of government at the time and the outcome. Every incident links to its sources.

20 incidents, 5 tactics, 6 countries.

Tactics by country
Tactic	Australia	Bangladesh	India	Malaysia	United Kingdom	United States
Prior restraint			February 14, 2023 Indian tax authorities search BBC offices weeks after Modi documentary ban. Narendra Modi. Unknown. Issue of the day: The searches followed the government's ban, weeks earlier, of the BBC documentary 'India: The Modi Question,' which examined Modi's record as Gujarat's chief minister during 2002 riots that killed mostly Muslims.
Secrets and espionage laws	June 5, 2019 Australian Federal Police raid the national broadcaster over reporting on alleged war crimes in Afghanistan. Scott Morrison. Reversed. Issue of the day: ABC's 2017 "Afghan Files" reporting on allegations that Australian special forces soldiers killed people in breach of the laws of armed conflict.					July 6, 2005 New York Times reporter Judith Miller jailed for refusing to name a confidential source in the Valerie Plame affair. George W. Bush. Upheld by a court. Issue of the day: The Bush administration's case for the 2003 Iraq War and the public dispute over former ambassador Joseph Wilson's contrary account of Iraqi uranium claims. May 20, 2013 United States search warrant names Fox News reporter James Rosen a possible co-conspirator in a leak case. Barack Obama. Sustained. Issue of the day: A 2009 Fox News report, sourced to a State Department analyst, forecasting North Korea's response to new United Nations sanctions. October 10, 2013 United States: Espionage Act prosecutions of sources for leaks to the press, 2009 to 2013. Barack Obama. Unknown October 17, 2014 United States pursues New York Times reporter James Risen's testimony for years before dropping its demand for his source. Barack Obama. Reversed. Issue of the day: A 2006 book account of a botched CIA operation meant to disrupt Iran's nuclear weapons program.
Surveillance and subpoenas	June 5, 2019 Australian Federal Police raid the national broadcaster over reporting on alleged war crimes in Afghanistan. Scott Morrison. Reversed. Issue of the day: ABC's 2017 "Afghan Files" reporting on allegations that Australian special forces soldiers killed people in breach of the laws of armed conflict. April 15, 2020 Australia's High Court invalidates warrant for raid on journalist Annika Smethurst. Scott Morrison. Reversed. Issue of the day: The 2019 raid stemmed from Smethurst's reporting on leaked, classified plans to expand the Australian Signals Directorate's domestic surveillance powers, which the government treated as a national-security leak investigation.	February 3, 2025 Journalists beaten in Bangladesh in separate incidents as interim government drafts new cyber laws. Muhammad Yunus. Ongoing. Issue of the day: The incidents occurred six months into the interim government that took power after Sheikh Hasina's government fell in August 2024, a period in which press-freedom groups said journalists faced both continued street violence and new draft cyber-security legislation.	February 14, 2023 Indian tax authorities search BBC offices weeks after Modi documentary ban. Narendra Modi. Unknown. Issue of the day: The searches followed the government's ban, weeks earlier, of the BBC documentary 'India: The Modi Question,' which examined Modi's record as Gujarat's chief minister during 2002 riots that killed mostly Muslims.	September 20, 1998 Malaysia pressures domestic media and monitors foreign correspondents after arresting former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim. Mahathir Mohamad. Unknown. Issue of the day: The September 1998 dismissal, arrest and prosecution of former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim on corruption and sodomy charges.	August 18, 2013 United Kingdom detains journalist's partner under terrorism law and oversees destruction of Guardian hard drives holding Snowden files. David Cameron. Upheld by a court. Issue of the day: The Guardian's 2013 reporting, based on files leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, on mass surveillance by the United States and United Kingdom.	November 1955 United States Senate panel subpoenas dozens of New York Times journalists over Communist ties. Dwight D. Eisenhower. Sustained. Issue of the day: Senator Eastland's subcommittee was investigating what it described as Communist Party influence in American newsrooms and broadcasting during the Cold War, and treated past party membership among journalists as grounds for scrutiny. 1969 United States Supreme Court rules reporters have no privilege to refuse grand jury subpoenas. Richard Nixon. Upheld by a court. Issue of the day: Branzburg's articles on drug use and manufacturing drew the attention of Kentucky prosecutors, who wanted him to identify the people he had described witnessing commit the underlying offenses. August 16, 1971 Nixon White House compiles an enemies list naming journalists for official pressure. Richard Nixon. Reversed. Issue of the day: Nixon's aides were reacting to sustained critical coverage and commentary from named journalists during his first term, including Mary McGrory's columns, which an internal notation described as habitually critical to the president. September 9, 1971 United States: Nixon White House "enemies list" naming journalists, September 1971. Richard Nixon. Unknown July 6, 2005 New York Times reporter Judith Miller jailed for refusing to name a confidential source in the Valerie Plame affair. George W. Bush. Upheld by a court. Issue of the day: The Bush administration's case for the 2003 Iraq War and the public dispute over former ambassador Joseph Wilson's contrary account of Iraqi uranium claims. May 13, 2013 United States Justice Department secretly seizes two months of Associated Press phone records. Barack Obama. Sustained. Issue of the day: A May 2012 AP report on a foiled al-Qaeda bomb plot aimed at a U.S.-bound airplane, which the government said compromised an intelligence source. May 20, 2013 United States search warrant names Fox News reporter James Rosen a possible co-conspirator in a leak case. Barack Obama. Sustained. Issue of the day: A 2009 Fox News report, sourced to a State Department analyst, forecasting North Korea's response to new United Nations sanctions. October 10, 2013 United States: Espionage Act prosecutions of sources for leaks to the press, 2009 to 2013. Barack Obama. Unknown October 17, 2014 United States pursues New York Times reporter James Risen's testimony for years before dropping its demand for his source. Barack Obama. Reversed. Issue of the day: A 2006 book account of a botched CIA operation meant to disrupt Iran's nuclear weapons program. July 19, 2021 Justice Department bars seizing reporters' phone and email records. Joe Biden. Reversed. Issue of the day: In mid-2021, The New York Times, The Washington Post and CNN separately disclosed that the Justice Department had secretly seized their reporters' phone and email records years earlier while investigating leaks, including of information about contacts between Trump campaign associates and Russia. November 6, 2021 FBI raids Project Veritas founder's home over Ashley Biden diary investigation. Joe Biden. Unknown. Issue of the day: Project Veritas had obtained and reported on a diary purportedly belonging to Ashley Biden during the 2020 campaign; federal prosecutors were investigating how the diary had been obtained and transported across state lines. August 11, 2023 Police raid Marion County Record newsroom and publisher's home in Kansas. Laura Kelly. Reversed. Issue of the day: The Record had been investigating the driving record of local restaurant owner Kari Newell, who had accused the paper of accessing her personal information without authorization, the claim the search warrant cited as its basis. April 25, 2025 United States: Department of Justice rescission of rules limiting subpoenas of journalists, April 2025. Donald Trump. Sustained July 10, 2026 Customs officers seize Grayzone editor's phones at Virginia airport over Iran reporting. Donald Trump. Reversed. Issue of the day: Blumenthal had traveled to and reported from Iran, a country CBP's own cited policy treats as grounds for additional scrutiny of travelers who have worked in or visited it.
Funding and ownership pressure				September 20, 1998 Malaysia pressures domestic media and monitors foreign correspondents after arresting former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim. Mahathir Mohamad. Unknown. Issue of the day: The September 1998 dismissal, arrest and prosecution of former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim on corruption and sodomy charges.		August 16, 1971 Nixon White House compiles an enemies list naming journalists for official pressure. Richard Nixon. Reversed. Issue of the day: Nixon's aides were reacting to sustained critical coverage and commentary from named journalists during his first term, including Mary McGrory's columns, which an internal notation described as habitually critical to the president.
Detention and violence		February 3, 2025 Journalists beaten in Bangladesh in separate incidents as interim government drafts new cyber laws. Muhammad Yunus. Ongoing. Issue of the day: The incidents occurred six months into the interim government that took power after Sheikh Hasina's government fell in August 2024, a period in which press-freedom groups said journalists faced both continued street violence and new draft cyber-security legislation.			August 18, 2013 United Kingdom detains journalist's partner under terrorism law and oversees destruction of Guardian hard drives holding Snowden files. David Cameron. Upheld by a court. Issue of the day: The Guardian's 2013 reporting, based on files leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, on mass surveillance by the United States and United Kingdom.	November 6, 2021 FBI raids Project Veritas founder's home over Ashley Biden diary investigation. Joe Biden. Unknown. Issue of the day: Project Veritas had obtained and reported on a diary purportedly belonging to Ashley Biden during the 2020 campaign; federal prosecutors were investigating how the diary had been obtained and transported across state lines. August 11, 2023 Police raid Marion County Record newsroom and publisher's home in Kansas. Laura Kelly. Reversed. Issue of the day: The Record had been investigating the driving record of local restaurant owner Kari Newell, who had accused the paper of accessing her personal information without authorization, the claim the search warrant cited as its basis.

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