# The 1980s

Government actions against journalists, 1980 to 1989

8 recorded incidents dated 1980 to 1989, by continent and region.

## Africa

| Date | Incident | Country | Tactic | Head of government | Outcome |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| November 2, 1985 | [South Africa bans television and photographic coverage of unrest under a state of emergency](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1985-south-africa-state-of-emergency-media-ban) | [South Africa](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/za) ([RSF 2026 rank: 21st of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) | [Shutdowns and blocking](https://thewaronnews.com/tactics/shutdowns_and_blocking) | [P. W. Botha](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/p-w-botha) | Reversed (June 1, 1990) |

## Asia

### Eastern Asia

| Date | Incident | Country | Tactic | Head of government | Outcome |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| July 31, 1980 | [South Korea's martial-law government purges journalists who resisted press controls](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1980-south-korea-chun-doo-hwan-press-purge) | [South Korea](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/kr) ([RSF 2026 rank: 47th of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) | [Licensing and closure of outlets](https://thewaronnews.com/tactics/outlet_licensing) | [Chun Doo-hwan](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/chun-doo-hwan) | Reversed (June 1, 1987) |
| June 14, 1989 | [China expels foreign journalists and restricts coverage of the Tiananmen Square protests](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1989-china-tiananmen-foreign-journalists-expelled) | [China](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/cn) ([RSF 2026 rank: 178th of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) | [Expulsion and visa denial](https://thewaronnews.com/tactics/expulsion_and_visa_denial) | [Li Peng](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/li-peng) | Sustained (January 1, 1990) |

### South-eastern Asia

| Date | Incident | Country | Tactic | Head of government | Outcome |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| September 18, 1988 | [Burma's new military government tightens pre-publication press controls after seizing power](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1988-burma-slorc-press-scrutiny) | [Myanmar](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/mm) ([RSF 2026 rank: 166th of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) | [Prior restraint](https://thewaronnews.com/tactics/prior_restraint) | [Saw Maung](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/saw-maung) | Ongoing (January 1, 1989) |

## Europe

### Eastern Europe

| Date | Incident | Country | Tactic | Head of government | Outcome |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| December 13, 1981 | [Poland's martial law government shuts nearly all newspapers and interns journalists overnight](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1981-poland-martial-law-press-suspended) | [Poland](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/pl) ([RSF 2026 rank: 27th of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) | [Shutdowns and blocking](https://thewaronnews.com/tactics/shutdowns_and_blocking) | [Wojciech Jaruzelski](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/wojciech-jaruzelski) | Reversed (July 22, 1983) |

### Northern Europe

| Date | Incident | Country | Tactic | Head of government | Outcome |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| October 1988 | [United Kingdom bars broadcasters from airing Sinn Féin members' own voices](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1988-uk-broadcasting-ban-sinn-fein) | [United Kingdom](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/gb) ([RSF 2026 rank: 18th of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) | [Licensing and closure of outlets](https://thewaronnews.com/tactics/outlet_licensing) | [Margaret Thatcher](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/margaret-thatcher) | Reversed (September 16, 1994) |

## North America

### Caribbean

| Date | Incident | Country | Tactic | Head of government | Outcome |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1981 | [Haiti's Duvalier government arrests and deports Radio Haiti-Inter staff, driving its director into exile](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1981-haiti-duvalier-radio-haiti-inter-exile) | [Haiti](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/ht) ([RSF 2026 rank: 107th of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) | [Expulsion and visa denial](https://thewaronnews.com/tactics/expulsion_and_visa_denial) | [Jean-Claude Duvalier](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/jean-claude-duvalier) | Reversed (February 1, 1986) |

### Northern America

| Date | Incident | Country | Tactic | Head of government | Outcome |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| October 25, 1983 | [United States military bars journalists from the invasion of Grenada](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1983-us-grenada-press-exclusion) | [United States](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/us) ([RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) | [Access bans](https://thewaronnews.com/tactics/access_ban) | [Ronald Reagan](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/ronald-reagan) | Reversed (April 1, 1985) |

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