# China: press credentials and visas withheld from correspondents at three American newspapers

Published 2026-09-23. Last reviewed 2026-09-22. 3 sources.

Status: in effect, as of 2026-09-22.

What we don't know: The source reviewed does not say how many correspondents at the three newspapers were affected by name or whether any later regained credentials.

A survey by the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China found the government refused new press credentials to journalists tied to American outlets and cancelled or refused visas for correspondents at the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post through 2020.[1][2][3]

- Country: [China](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/cn) (RSF 2026 rank: 178th of 180)
- Where: CN
- Level of government: National
- Tactic: Credential control
- Stage: Punish (ladder: https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/credential_control#stage-punish)
- Ladder note: Credentials and visas needed to work at all were denied to correspondents at three named outlets on a national scale, on top of earlier individual expulsion orders.
- Head of government at the time: [Xi Jinping](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/xi-jinping)
- Issue of the day: The findings covered a year in which China expelled dozens of foreign journalists amid tit-for-tat measures with the United States and additional restrictions tied to the coronavirus outbreak.
- Outcome: Sustained, March 3, 2021. The credential and visa denials were in force for the year covered by the survey, with no reversal reported in the source reviewed.
- Era: The 2020s

## What happened

In a report issued in March 2021 covering the preceding year, the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China (FCCC), a professional association of foreign reporters based in the country, surveyed 150 of its members from 30 countries and regions and found that media freedom for foreign correspondents had deteriorated significantly in 2020. Among the specific findings, the report said Chinese authorities had refused to issue press credentials to journalists accredited with United States news outlets, had cancelled and refused to issue new visas for correspondents at the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post, and had expelled at least 18 foreign journalists in the first half of the year alone. The credential and visa restrictions extended the effect of earlier expulsion orders, since a journalist without a valid press card or visa cannot legally remain in the country to report, regardless of whether they were personally named in an expulsion order.[1][2][3]

The restrictions were in force through the period covered by the March 2021 report; the source reviewed does not report a reversal.[1][2][3]

## What reason was given

Not stated in the sources reviewed; no Chinese government justification for the specific credential and visa denials is quoted in the source.[1][2][3]

## What changed for reporting

Correspondents at three major American newspapers lost the credentials and visas needed to report from China even where they had not been individually ordered to leave, compounding earlier expulsions.[1]

## Timeline

- 2020-03-18: China: press credentials and visas withheld from correspondents at three American newspapers

## Who acted

| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Xi Jinping](https://thewaronnews.com/actors/xi-jinping) | ordered | President of China |

## Outlets and journalists

| Name | Kind | Relation |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [The New York Times](https://thewaronnews.com/outlets/new-york-times) | outlet | affected |
| [The Wall Street Journal](https://thewaronnews.com/outlets/wall-street-journal) | outlet | affected |
| [The Washington Post](https://thewaronnews.com/outlets/washington-post) | outlet | affected |

## Sources

1. Foreign correspondents in China face COVID-19 restrictions and expulsions, FCCC finds. https://cpj.org/2021/03/foreign-correspondents-in-china-face-covid-19-restrictions-and-expulsions-fccc-finds/ (Committee to Protect Journalists, 2021-03-03).
2. Factbox: Foreign journalists forced to leave China as diplomatic tensions worsen. https://www.reuters.com/article/world/factbox-foreign-journalists-forced-to-leave-china-as-diplomatic-tensions-worsen-idUSKBN25Z0QL/ (Reuters, 2020-09-08).
3. China to revoke credentials of U.S. journalists from 3 major newspapers. https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-03-17/china-revoke-media-credentials-new-york-times-washington-post (Los Angeles Times, 2020-03-17).

## Claims cited

[1] The survey found at least 18 foreign journalists were expelled from China in the first half of 2020. Quote: "Expelled at least 18 foreign journalists in the first half of 2020" Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2021-03-03. Foreign correspondents in China face COVID-19 restrictions and expulsions, FCCC finds. https://cpj.org/2021/03/foreign-correspondents-in-china-face-covid-19-restrictions-and-expulsions-fccc-finds/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/508, checked 2026-09-22.

[2] China refused to issue press credentials to journalists accredited with United States news outlets. Quote: "Refused to issue press credentials to journalists accredited with U.S. news outlets" Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2021-03-03. Foreign correspondents in China face COVID-19 restrictions and expulsions, FCCC finds. https://cpj.org/2021/03/foreign-correspondents-in-china-face-covid-19-restrictions-and-expulsions-fccc-finds/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/570, checked 2026-09-22.

[3] China cancelled and refused new visas to foreign correspondents from the three named newspapers. Quote: "Cancelled and refused to issue new visas to foreign correspondents from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post" Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2021-03-03. Foreign correspondents in China face COVID-19 restrictions and expulsions, FCCC finds. https://cpj.org/2021/03/foreign-correspondents-in-china-face-covid-19-restrictions-and-expulsions-fccc-finds/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/571, checked 2026-09-22.

Source page: https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2020-china-press-card-visa-restrictions-us-outlets. The War On News, CC BY 4.0.