Era
The 1940s
Government actions against journalists, 1940 to 1949
5 recorded incidents dated 1940 to 1949, by continent and region.
Asia
| Date | Incident | Country | Tactic | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | Israel retains a British-era law giving the military the power to review and restrict the press | Israel (RSF 2026 rank: 116th of 180) | Prior restraint | David Ben-Gurion | Ongoing (1 January 1989) |
Europe
| Date | Incident | Country | Tactic | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 May 1941 | Greece: collaborationist government creates a Directorate-General for Press and Radio to review films and publications before release | Greece (RSF rank: not recorded) | Prior restraint | Georgios Tsolakoglou | Sustained |
North America
| Date | Incident | Country | Tactic | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 December 1941 | United States creates an Office of Censorship and a wartime code for the press | United States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180) | Prior restraint | Franklin D. Roosevelt | Sustained (28 September 1945) |
| August 1942 | United States: Justice Department investigates the Chicago Tribune under the Espionage Act over Battle of Midway coverage | United States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180) | Secrets and espionage laws | Franklin D. Roosevelt | Reversed (1 August 1942) |
Oceania
| Date | Incident | Country | Tactic | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 April 1944 | Australia's wartime government seizes a Sydney newspaper edition under press controls rules | Australia (RSF 2026 rank: 33rd of 180) | Prior restraint | John Curtin | Reversed (18 April 1944) |