The War On News

A record of government actions against journalism and fact-based reporting, from the first press laws to today

The record

Incidents: prior restraint in North America

Each incident is a dated action by a government, an official, a regulator, a court or a legislature that limited journalists' ability to gather or publish news.

The number of entries reflects the depth of this record, not the severity of a country's conduct.

All filters: country, dates, head of government, sort
CountryCanada, RSF 2026 rank: 20th of 180United States, RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180
ContinentNorth America
TacticPrior restraint 10Access bans 2Secrets and espionage laws 2Credential control 1Detention and violence 1Licensing and closure of outlets 1
StageRestrict 3Pressure 1Silence 6
OutcomeReversed 4Sustained 3Ongoing 1Unknown 1Upheld by a court 1
LevelNational 7State or province 2Municipal 1
Head of governmentDonald TrumpEurith D. RiversFranklin D. RooseveltGeorge H. W. BushGeorge W. BushJ. James ExonRichard NixonTheodore ChristiansonWilliam Lyon Mackenzie King

10 incidents match this view.

TableCardsCSVJSONMarkdown
DateIncidentCountryTacticHead of governmentOutcome
19 September 2025United States: Department of Defense press credential rules requiring approval before release of information, September 2025United States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Credential controlDonald TrumpOngoing (9 April 2026)
12 September 2020Political appointees alter CDC coronavirus guidance before public releaseUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Prior restraintDonald TrumpUnknown
10 February 2003Pentagon sets ground rules for journalists embedded with United States forces in IraqUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Access bansGeorge W. BushSustained (14 April 2003)
8 November 1990United States federal court bars CNN from broadcasting recordings of Manuel Noriega's calls with his lawyersUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Prior restraintGeorge H. W. BushUpheld by a court (18 November 1990)
27 October 1975United States judge bars the press from reporting a murder suspect's confession before trialUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Prior restraintJ. James ExonReversed (30 June 1976)
15 June 1971United States government seeks an injunction to stop The New York Times publishing the Pentagon PapersUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Prior restraintRichard NixonReversed (30 June 1971)
19 December 1941United States creates an Office of Censorship and a wartime code for the pressUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Prior restraintFranklin D. RooseveltSustained (28 September 1945)
3 September 1939Canada: War Measures Act regulations authorize review of hundreds of newspapers and ban political organizationsCanada (RSF 2026 rank: 20th of 180)Prior restraintWilliam Lyon Mackenzie KingSustained (31 December 1945)
28 March 1938United States: Supreme Court strikes down a Georgia city's permit requirement for distributing literature, 1938United States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Prior restraintEurith D. RiversReversed (28 March 1938)
1927Minnesota closes The Saturday Press in 1927; the Supreme Court strikes down the law in 1931United States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Prior restraintTheodore ChristiansonReversed (1 June 1931)
Download this view

CSV, JSON or Markdown. CC BY 4.0; credit "The War On News, thewaronnews.com".

CSVJSONMarkdown

Incidents (RSS)Incidents (Atom)Incidents (JSON Feed)All incidents (CSV)