Country
Germany
Government actions against journalists in Germany
RSF 2026 rank: 14th of 180. World Press Freedom Index of Reporters Without Borders (RSF); rank 1 is the freest.
The number of entries reflects the depth of this record, not the severity of a country's conduct.
Germany is in Western Europe, Europe. The record holds 3 incidents in which the government of Germany, or an official, court or legislature there, limited journalists' ability to report.
Tactics used
- Licensing and closure of outlets: 2 incidents · ladder
- Credential control: 1 incident · ladder
- Detention and violence: 1 incident · ladder
- Prior restraint: 1 incident · ladder
Heads of government at the time
Incidents by year
1962
| Date | Incident | Tactic | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 October 1962 | West Germany: police raid Der Spiegel's offices and arrest its editors over a defense article | Detention and violence | Punish | Konrad Adenauer | Unknown |
1933
| Date | Incident | Tactic | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 October 1933 | Nazi Germany's Editors Law bars Jewish journalists, 1933 | Credential control | Silence | Adolf Hitler | Reversed (8 May 1945) |
| 28 February 1933 | Germany: Reichstag Fire Decree suspends freedom of the press, February 1933 | Licensing and closure of outlets | Silence | Adolf Hitler | Sustained (1 May 1945) |
Ladders: where each tactic has led · Timeline for Germany · Europe