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, national level, outcome ongoing

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
CountryBangladesh, RSF 2026 rank: 152nd of 180China, RSF 2026 rank: 178th of 180Egypt, RSF 2026 rank: 169th of 180EritreaEthiopia, RSF 2026 rank: 148th of 180Guatemala, RSF 2026 rank: 128th of 180Hungary, RSF 2026 rank: 74th of 180India, RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180Iran, RSF 2026 rank: 177th of 180Israel, RSF 2026 rank: 116th of 180KazakhstanMyanmar, RSF 2026 rank: 166th of 180Philippines, RSF 2026 rank: 114th of 180Russia, RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180Serbia, RSF 2026 rank: 104th of 180Türkiye, RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180United Kingdom, RSF 2026 rank: 18th of 180United States, RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180Venezuela, RSF 2026 rank: 159th of 180
ContinentAfricaAsiaEuropeNorth AmericaSouth America
TacticDetention and violence 8Lawsuits against the press 7Access bans 5Funding and ownership pressure 5Prior restraint 5Credential control 4Licensing and closure of outlets 3Secrets and espionage laws 3Shutdowns and blocking 3Surveillance and subpoenas 2Insult and defamation laws 2Official labels 1Expulsion and visa denial 1
StageRestrict 5Pressure 9Punish 10Silence 7Eliminate 6
OutcomeOngoing 37
LevelNational 37
Head of governmentAbdel Fattah el-SisiAbiy AhmedAlejandro GiammatteiAleksandar VucicDavid Ben-GurionDonald TrumpEbrahim RaisiGamal Abdel NasserGeorge H. W. BushIsaias AfwerkiKassym-Jomart TokayevMin Aung HlaingMuhammad YunusNarendra ModiNicolas MaduroRecep Tayyip ErdoğanRodrigo DuterteSaw MaungStanley BaldwinViktor OrbanVladimir LeninVladimir PutinXi Jinping

37 incidents match this view.

TableCardsCSVJSONMarkdown
DateIncidentCountryTacticHead of governmentOutcome
18 September 2026CNN, MS NOW, Politico hard passes deactivated, 2026United States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Access bansDonald TrumpOngoing (21 September 2026)
20 August 2026Kazakhstan: fabricated copyright complaints used against journalistsKazakhstan (RSF rank: not recorded)Lawsuits against the pressKassym-Jomart TokayevOngoing (20 August 2026)
28 April 2026Appeals court orders FCC to respond to challenge over 'news distortion' policyUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Funding and ownership pressureDonald TrumpOngoing (28 April 2026)
15 October 2025United States: News organizations turn in their Pentagon press credentials, October 2025United States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Credential controlDonald TrumpOngoing (9 April 2026)
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)
15 September 2025Trump files, then refiles, $15 billion defamation suit against the New York TimesUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Lawsuits against the pressDonald TrumpOngoing (16 October 2025)
5 September 2025Serbian police strike, detain and disarm journalists covering anti-government protestsSerbia (RSF 2026 rank: 104th of 180)Detention and violenceAleksandar VucicOngoing
3 September 2025Ethiopia arrests at least six journalists including Sheger FM staff over election-year coverageEthiopia (RSF 2026 rank: 148th of 180)Detention and violenceAbiy AhmedOngoing (22 September 2025)
18 July 2025Trump sues Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch over Epstein birthday letter storyUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Lawsuits against the pressDonald TrumpOngoing
15 March 2025United States: U.S. Agency for Global Media action to shut down Voice of America operations, March 2025United States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Funding and ownership pressureDonald TrumpOngoing (28 March 2025)
11 February 2025United States: White House exclusion of the Associated Press from the Oval Office and Air Force One, February 2025United States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Access bansDonald TrumpOngoing (22 July 2025)
3 February 2025Journalists beaten in Bangladesh in separate incidents as interim government drafts new cyber lawsBangladesh (RSF 2026 rank: 152nd of 180)Detention and violenceMuhammad YunusOngoing
22 January 2025FCC chair reopens 'news distortion' complaints against CBS and NBCUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Funding and ownership pressureDonald TrumpOngoing
16 December 2024Trump sues Des Moines Register and pollster Ann Selzer over final Iowa pollUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Lawsuits against the pressDonald TrumpOngoing (10 July 2026)
November 2024China: editor Dong Yuyu is sentenced to seven years for espionage over meals with a diplomatChina (RSF 2026 rank: 178th of 180)Secrets and espionage lawsXi JinpingOngoing (1 November 2024)
20 August 2024Kazakhstan: new accreditation rules let officials withdraw a journalist's pass for off-topic questionsKazakhstan (RSF rank: not recorded)Credential controlKassym-Jomart TokayevOngoing (3 September 2024)
17 January 2024Iran: journalists Niloofar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi are sentenced to 13 and 12 yearsIran (RSF 2026 rank: 177th of 180)Secrets and espionage lawsEbrahim RaisiOngoing (17 January 2024)
1 November 2023Turkish authorities detain three journalists under 'disinformation' lawTürkiye (RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180)Insult and defamation lawsRecep Tayyip ErdoğanOngoing
14 June 2023Guatemala convicts investigative journalist Jose Ruben Zamora on money-laundering chargeGuatemala (RSF 2026 rank: 128th of 180)Detention and violenceAlejandro GiammatteiOngoing
5 September 2022Russia: journalist Ivan Safronov is sentenced to 22 years for treasonRussia (RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180)Secrets and espionage lawsVladimir PutinOngoing (5 September 2022)
22 January 2022Türkiye: journalist Sedef Kabas is arrested for a proverb about President ErdoganTürkiye (RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180)Insult and defamation lawsRecep Tayyip ErdoğanOngoing (22 June 2023)
14 January 2022Türkiye: journalist Sedef Kabas tried for insulting the presidentTürkiye (RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180)Lawsuits against the pressRecep Tayyip ErdoğanOngoing (22 June 2023)
July 2021Hungary: investigative journalist Szabolcs Panyi's phone is infected with Pegasus spywareHungary (RSF 2026 rank: 74th of 180)Surveillance and subpoenasViktor OrbanOngoing (1 July 2021)
February 2021Myanmar: military cuts mobile internet after seizing powerMyanmar (RSF 2026 rank: 166th of 180)Shutdowns and blockingMin Aung HlaingOngoing (3 May 2021)
15 June 2020Philippines: Maria Ressa convicted of cyber libelPhilippines (RSF 2026 rank: 114th of 180)Lawsuits against the pressRodrigo DuterteOngoing (15 June 2020)
14 May 2020China: citizen journalist Zhang Zhan imprisoned for Wuhan reportingChina (RSF 2026 rank: 178th of 180)Detention and violenceXi JinpingOngoing
5 August 2019India imposes a communications blackout in Jammu and Kashmir after revoking the region's special statusIndia (RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180)Shutdowns and blockingNarendra ModiOngoing (5 August 2020)
26 October 2018Russia: outlet fined $338,000 under the foreign agents lawRussia (RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180)Lawsuits against the pressVladimir PutinOngoing (26 October 2018)
October 2018Egypt: a license requirement leaves an independent news site unable to operate legally for yearsEgypt (RSF 2026 rank: 169th of 180)Prior restraintAbdel Fattah el-SisiOngoing (26 October 2020)
1 September 2017Venezuela expels or denies entry to dozens of foreign journalists covering anti-government protestsVenezuela (RSF 2026 rank: 159th of 180)Expulsion and visa denialNicolas MaduroOngoing (25 January 2018)
18 September 2001Eritrea: independent press closed and journalists jailed without trialEritrea (RSF rank: not recorded)Detention and violenceIsaias AfwerkiOngoing
20 December 1989United States: Pentagon press pool kept from the opening hours of the Panama invasion, December 1989United States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Access bansGeorge H. W. BushOngoing (6 April 1990)
18 September 1988Burma's new military government tightens pre-publication press controls after seizing powerMyanmar (RSF 2026 rank: 166th of 180)Prior restraintSaw MaungOngoing (1 January 1989)
24 May 1960Egypt's Nasser government nationalizes every newspaper and magazine in the countryEgypt (RSF 2026 rank: 169th of 180)Funding and ownership pressureGamal Abdel NasserOngoing (1 January 1989)
1948Israel retains a British-era law giving the military the power to review and restrict the pressIsrael (RSF 2026 rank: 116th of 180)Prior restraintDavid Ben-GurionOngoing (1 January 1989)
May 1926United Kingdom: Government requisitions newsprint and restricts rival newspapers during the 1926 General StrikeUnited Kingdom (RSF 2026 rank: 18th of 180)Funding and ownership pressureStanley BaldwinOngoing (10 May 1926)
1922Glavlit created: Soviet censorship office, 1922Russia (RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180)Prior restraintVladimir LeninOngoing (1 January 1989)
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