# The 1940s

Government actions against journalists, 1940 to 1949

3 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](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1948-israel-military-censorship-established) | [Israel](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/il) ([RSF 2026 rank: 116th of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) | [Prior restraint](https://thewaronnews.com/tactics/prior_restraint) | [David Ben-Gurion](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/david-ben-gurion) | Ongoing (January 1, 1989) |

## North America

| Date | Incident | Country | Tactic | Head of government | Outcome |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| December 19, 1941 | [United States creates an Office of Censorship and a wartime code for the press](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1941-us-office-of-censorship-wartime-press-code) | [United States](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/us) ([RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) | [Prior restraint](https://thewaronnews.com/tactics/prior_restraint) | [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/franklin-d-roosevelt) | Sustained (September 28, 1945) |

## Oceania

| Date | Incident | Country | Tactic | Head of government | Outcome |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| April 16, 1944 | [Australia's wartime government seizes a Sydney newspaper edition under press controls rules](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1944-australia-calwell-newspaper-seizure) | [Australia](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/au) ([RSF 2026 rank: 33rd of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) | [Prior restraint](https://thewaronnews.com/tactics/prior_restraint) | [John Curtin](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/john-curtin) | Reversed (April 18, 1944) |

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