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, stage: silence, 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.

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
CountryAustralia, RSF 2026 rank: 33rd of 180Brazil, RSF 2026 rank: 52nd of 180Canada, RSF 2026 rank: 20th of 180Czechia, RSF 2026 rank: 11th of 180GreeceIndia, RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180Israel, RSF 2026 rank: 116th of 180JapanMyanmar, RSF 2026 rank: 166th of 180Philippines, RSF 2026 rank: 114th of 180Portugal, RSF 2026 rank: 10th of 180Russia, RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180South Africa, RSF 2026 rank: 21st of 180Spain, RSF 2026 rank: 29th of 180United Kingdom, RSF 2026 rank: 18th of 180United States, RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180
ContinentAfricaAsiaEuropeNorth AmericaSouth AmericaOceania
TacticPrior restraint 21Licensing and closure of outlets 7Detention and violence 4Shutdowns and blocking 3Secrets and espionage laws 2Funding and ownership pressure 1Credential control 1Insult and defamation laws 1
StageSilence 21
OutcomeReversed 11Sustained 4Ongoing 3Unknown 2Upheld by a court 1
LevelNational 21
Head of governmentAlexander DubčekAntónio de Oliveira SalazarArtur da Costa e SilvaBenjamin NetanyahuDaniel François MalanDavid Ben-GurionEdward HeathFerdinand MarcosFrancisco FrancoFumimaro KonoeGeorge H. W. BushGeorgios TsolakoglouGetúlio VargasHerbert Henry AsquithIndira GandhiJohn CurtinMargaret ThatcherRichard NixonSaw MaungVladimir LeninWilliam Lyon Mackenzie King

21 incidents match this view.

TableCardsCSVJSONMarkdown
DateIncidentCountryTacticHead of governmentOutcome
June 2010Israel: a court bars any mention of the 'Prisoner X' caseIsrael (RSF 2026 rank: 116th of 180)Prior restraintBenjamin NetanyahuUnknown (1 June 2010)
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)
October 1988United Kingdom bars broadcasters from airing Sinn Féin members' own voicesUnited Kingdom (RSF 2026 rank: 18th of 180)Licensing and closure of outletsMargaret ThatcherReversed (16 September 1994)
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)
26 June 1975India imposes pre-press controls on every newspaper during the 1975 EmergencyIndia (RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180)Prior restraintIndira GandhiReversed (21 March 1977)
17 November 1972United Kingdom court bars The Sunday Times from publishing an article on thalidomideUnited Kingdom (RSF 2026 rank: 18th of 180)Prior restraintEdward HeathReversed (26 April 1979)
21 September 1972Philippines President Marcos closes every major news outlet under martial lawPhilippines (RSF 2026 rank: 114th of 180)Shutdowns and blockingFerdinand MarcosReversed (25 February 1986)
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)
13 December 1968Brazil's military government decrees the Fifth Institutional Act and moves to control the pressBrazil (RSF 2026 rank: 52nd of 180)Prior restraintArtur da Costa e SilvaUnknown
21 August 1968Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia is followed by the return of government press controlsCzechia (RSF 2026 rank: 11th of 180)Prior restraintAlexander DubčekReversed (1 November 1989)
17 July 1950South Africa's Suppression of Communism Act lets the government ban publications and restrict individualsSouth Africa (RSF 2026 rank: 21st of 180)Prior restraintDaniel François MalanReversed (31 July 1991)
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)
16 April 1944Australia's wartime government seizes a Sydney newspaper edition under press controls rulesAustralia (RSF 2026 rank: 33rd of 180)Prior restraintJohn CurtinReversed (18 April 1944)
8 May 1941Greece: collaborationist government creates a Directorate-General for Press and Radio to review films and publications before releaseGreece (RSF rank: not recorded)Prior restraintGeorgios TsolakoglouSustained
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)
1939Brazil's Vargas government creates a state messaging department with broad press powersBrazil (RSF 2026 rank: 52nd of 180)Licensing and closure of outletsGetúlio VargasReversed (1 January 1945)
April 1938Franco's Spain requires state permission to be a journalist under a wartime Press LawSpain (RSF 2026 rank: 29th of 180)Credential controlFrancisco FrancoReversed (1 April 1977)
July 1937Japan: government requires clearance to publish war news under the Newspaper Law, 1937Japan (RSF rank: not recorded)Prior restraintFumimaro KonoeSustained
1933Portugal's Salazar government formally establishes press controls under a new constitutionPortugal (RSF 2026 rank: 10th of 180)Prior restraintAntónio de Oliveira SalazarReversed (25 April 1974)
1922Glavlit created: Soviet censorship office, 1922Russia (RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180)Prior restraintVladimir LeninOngoing (1 January 1989)
27 August 1914Britain's Official Press Bureau controls newspaper coverage of the First World WarUnited Kingdom (RSF 2026 rank: 18th of 180)Prior restraintHerbert Henry AsquithSustained (12 November 1914)
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