The War On News

How governments have limited journalists, 1900 to today.

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Incidents, national level

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.

19 incidents match this view.

Country: United States (13) Russia (1) El Salvador (1) India (1) Israel (1) Türkiye (1) Hungary (1)

Continent: North America (14) Asia (3) Europe (2)

Tactic: Access bans (7) Funding and ownership pressure (6) Credential control (5) Surveillance and subpoenas (3) Official labels (2) Detention and violence (2) Expulsion and visa denial (2) Insult and defamation laws (1) Prior restraint (1) Licensing and closure of outlets (1) Lawsuits against the press (1) Secrets and espionage laws (1)

Outcome: Sustained (6) Ongoing (5) Unknown (5) Reversed (3)

Level: National (19)

Head of government: Donald Trump (11) Vladimir Putin (1) Nayib Bukele (1) Narendra Modi (1) Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (1) Viktor Orban (1) Barack Obama (1) Richard Nixon (1)

DateIncidentCountryTacticHead of governmentOutcome
September 18, 2026United States: White House hard-pass deactivations for CNN, MS NOW and Politico reporters, September 2026United StatesAccess bansDonald TrumpOngoing (September 21, 2026)
August 4, 2026Russia: law on asset freezes and service denials for exiled "foreign agents", August 2026RussiaOfficial labelsVladimir PutinSustained (August 4, 2026)
April 2026El Salvador: freeze on assets of shareholders in El Faro's parent company, February to April 2026El SalvadorFunding and ownership pressureNayib BukeleSustained (May 8, 2026)
February 10, 2026India: one-year prison sentence for the journalist Ravi Nair in a criminal defamation case, February 2026IndiaInsult and defamation lawsNarendra ModiUnknown (February 10, 2026)
January 7, 2026Israel: ban on independent entry of foreign journalists into the Gaza Strip, 2023 to 2026IsraelAccess bansSustained (February 25, 2026)
October 15, 2025United States: News organizations turn in their Pentagon press credentials, October 2025United StatesCredential controlDonald TrumpOngoing (April 9, 2026)
September 19, 2025United States: Department of Defense press credential rules requiring approval before release of information, September 2025United StatesCredential controlDonald TrumpOngoing (April 9, 2026)
September 17, 2025United States: Federal Communications Commission chairman's remarks and the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, September 2025United StatesFunding and ownership pressureDonald TrumpReversed (September 23, 2025)
July 1, 2025United States: Paramount settlement of Donald Trump's lawsuit over a 60 Minutes interview, July 2025United StatesLawsuits against the pressDonald TrumpSustained (July 1, 2025)
May 1, 2025United States: Executive Order 14290 directing an end to federal funding for NPR and PBS, May 2025United StatesFunding and ownership pressureDonald TrumpUnknown
April 25, 2025United States: Department of Justice rescission of rules limiting subpoenas of journalists, April 2025United StatesSurveillance and subpoenasDonald TrumpSustained (April 25, 2025)
March 19, 2025Türkiye: detention, injury and deportation of journalists covering protests, March 2025TürkiyeDetention and violenceRecep Tayyip ErdoğanUnknown (April 2, 2025)
March 15, 2025United States: U.S. Agency for Global Media action to shut down Voice of America operations, March 2025United StatesFunding and ownership pressureDonald TrumpOngoing (March 28, 2025)
February 25, 2025United States: White House takes over selection of the presidential press pool, February 2025United StatesAccess bansDonald TrumpSustained (September 22, 2026)
February 11, 2025United States: White House exclusion of the Associated Press from the Oval Office and Air Force One, February 2025United StatesAccess bansDonald TrumpOngoing (July 22, 2025)
December 20, 2023Hungary: National Sovereignty Protection Act and Sovereignty Protection Office, December 2023HungaryOfficial labelsViktor OrbanReversed (June 30, 2026)
November 7, 2018United States: White House suspension of CNN correspondent Jim Acosta's hard pass, November 2018United StatesCredential controlDonald TrumpReversed (November 19, 2018)
October 10, 2013United States: Espionage Act prosecutions of sources for leaks to the press, 2009 to 2013United StatesSecrets and espionage lawsBarack ObamaUnknown
September 9, 1971United States: Nixon White House "enemies list" naming journalists, September 1971United StatesSurveillance and subpoenasRichard NixonUnknown
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