The War On News

A record of government actions against journalism and fact-based reporting, 1900 to today

The record

Incidents, stage: pressure, 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
CountryEgypt, RSF 2026 rank: 169th of 180KazakhstanRussia, RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180United States, RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180
ContinentAfricaAsiaEuropeNorth America
TacticLawsuits against the press 5Funding and ownership pressure 2Official labels 1Prior restraint 1
StagePressure 8
OutcomeOngoing 8
LevelNational 8
Head of governmentAbdel Fattah el-SisiDonald TrumpKassym-Jomart TokayevVladimir Putin

8 incidents match this view.

TableCardsCSVJSONMarkdown
DateIncidentCountryTacticHead of governmentOutcome
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 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)
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
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)
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)
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