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, state or province 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
CountryCanada, RSF 2026 rank: 20th of 180Ethiopia, RSF 2026 rank: 148th of 180Hong Kong, RSF 2026 rank: 140th of 180United States, RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180
ContinentAfricaAsiaNorth America
TacticAccess bans 8Detention and violence 4Secrets and espionage laws 3Prior restraint 2Licensing and closure of outlets 1Shutdowns and blocking 1Insult and defamation laws 1Lawsuits against the press 1Funding and ownership pressure 1
StageRestrict 7Pressure 1Punish 3Silence 4Eliminate 1
OutcomeReversed 9Sustained 3Ongoing 3Upheld by a court 1
LevelState or province 16
Head of governmentAbiy AhmedAlfred E. SmithBob MartinezDoug DuceyHugh L. WhiteJ. James ExonJeff LandryJohn HorganJohn LeeJohn PattersonOscar K. AllenPrice DanielRon DeSantisTheodore ChristiansonTim Walz

16 incidents match this view.

TableCardsCSVJSONMarkdown
DateIncidentCountryTacticHead of governmentOutcome
15 December 2025China (Hong Kong): conviction and 20-year sentence of the media owner Jimmy Lai under the National Security Law, 2025 to 2026Hong Kong (RSF 2026 rank: 140th of 180)Detention and violenceJohn LeeSustained (8 February 2026)
31 January 2025United States (Louisiana): Federal court order blocking enforcement of the police buffer zone law, January 2025United States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Access bansJeff LandryOngoing (31 January 2025)
1 January 2025United States (Florida): Halo Law buffer zone around first responders, January 2025United States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Access bansRon DeSantisSustained (1 January 2025)
24 May 2024United States (Louisiana): 25-foot buffer zone law around police officers, May 2024United States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Access bansJeff LandryOngoing (31 January 2025)
21 July 2023Federal court strikes down Arizona's law banning recording police within 8 feetUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Access bansDoug DuceyReversed (21 July 2023)
20 July 2021Court orders RCMP to stop restricting press access at Fairy Creek logging blockadesCanada (RSF 2026 rank: 20th of 180)Access bansJohn HorganReversed (20 July 2021)
November 2020Ethiopia: internet and phone service cut across TigrayEthiopia (RSF 2026 rank: 148th of 180)Shutdowns and blockingAbiy AhmedOngoing (3 May 2021)
29 May 2020Minnesota State Patrol arrests CNN crew live on air in MinneapolisUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Detention and violenceTim WalzReversed (29 May 2020)
21 March 1990United States Supreme Court strikes down Florida law barring a reporter from discussing his own grand jury testimonyUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Secrets and espionage lawsBob MartinezReversed (21 March 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)
24 September 1962United States: Texas judge allows televised pretrial hearing in the Billie Sol Estes case; Supreme Court later limits cameras in criminal courtroomsUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Access bansPrice DanielReversed (7 June 1965)
1960United States: Montgomery, Alabama commissioner sues The New York Times for libel over a civil rights advertisementUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Lawsuits against the pressJohn PattersonReversed (9 March 1964)
19 September 1955United States: Tallahatchie County, Mississippi sheriff segregates Black reporters at the Emmett Till murder trial, September 1955United States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Access bansHugh L. WhiteSustained
12 July 1934United States: Louisiana taxes large newspapers' advertising revenue; the tax is struck down in Grosjean v. American Press Co.United States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Funding and ownership pressureOscar K. AllenReversed (10 February 1936)
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)
8 June 1925United States: Supreme Court upholds Benjamin Gitlow's conviction under New York's Criminal Anarchy Law, 1925United States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Secrets and espionage lawsAlfred E. SmithUpheld by a court (8 June 1925)
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)