Era
The 1930s
Government actions against journalists, 1930 to 1939
9 recorded incidents dated 1930 to 1939, by continent and region.
Asia
| Date | Incident | Country | Tactic | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 1937 | Japan: government requires clearance to publish war news under the Newspaper Law, 1937 | Japan (RSF rank: not recorded) | Prior restraint | Fumimaro Konoe | Sustained |
Europe
Southern Europe
| Date | Incident | Country | Tactic | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1933 | Portugal's Salazar government formally establishes press controls under a new constitution | Portugal (RSF 2026 rank: 10th of 180) | Prior restraint | António de Oliveira Salazar | Reversed (25 April 1974) |
| April 1938 | Franco's Spain requires state permission to be a journalist under a wartime Press Law | Spain (RSF 2026 rank: 29th of 180) | Credential control | Francisco Franco | Reversed (1 April 1977) |
Western Europe
| Date | Incident | Country | Tactic | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 February 1933 | Germany: Reichstag Fire Decree suspends freedom of the press, February 1933 | Germany (RSF 2026 rank: 14th of 180) | Licensing and closure of outlets | Adolf Hitler | Sustained (1 May 1945) |
| 4 October 1933 | Nazi Germany's Editors Law bars Jewish journalists, 1933 | Germany (RSF 2026 rank: 14th of 180) | Credential control | Adolf Hitler | Reversed (8 May 1945) |
North America
| Date | Incident | Country | Tactic | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 July 1934 | United States: Louisiana taxes large newspapers' advertising revenue; the tax is struck down in Grosjean v. American Press Co. | United States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180) | Funding and ownership pressure | Oscar K. Allen | Reversed (10 February 1936) |
| 28 March 1938 | United States: Supreme Court strikes down a Georgia city's permit requirement for distributing literature, 1938 | United States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180) | Prior restraint | Eurith D. Rivers | Reversed (28 March 1938) |
| 3 September 1939 | Canada: War Measures Act regulations authorize review of hundreds of newspapers and ban political organizations | Canada (RSF 2026 rank: 20th of 180) | Prior restraint | William Lyon Mackenzie King | Sustained (31 December 1945) |
South America
| Date | Incident | Country | Tactic | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | Brazil's Vargas government creates a state messaging department with broad press powers | Brazil (RSF 2026 rank: 52nd of 180) | Licensing and closure of outlets | Getúlio Vargas | Reversed (1 January 1945) |