The War On News

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

The record

Incidents, stage: punish, outcome sustained

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
CountryBelarus, RSF 2026 rank: 165th of 180China, RSF 2026 rank: 178th of 180Ethiopia, RSF 2026 rank: 148th of 180India, RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180Nicaragua, RSF 2026 rank: 168th of 180Pakistan, RSF 2026 rank: 153rd of 180Russia, RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180Tunisia, RSF 2026 rank: 137th of 180Türkiye, RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180United States, RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180Venezuela, RSF 2026 rank: 159th of 180Zimbabwe, RSF 2026 rank: 124th of 180
ContinentAfricaAsiaEuropeNorth AmericaSouth America
TacticExpulsion and visa denial 8Access bans 4Detention and violence 3Insult and defamation laws 3Surveillance and subpoenas 3Shutdowns and blocking 2Secrets and espionage laws 2Credential control 2Official labels 1Licensing and closure of outlets 1
StagePunish 20
OutcomeSustained 20
LevelNational 19Municipal 1
Head of governmentAbiy AhmedAlexander LukashenkoBarack ObamaDaniel OrtegaDwight D. EisenhowerEmmerson MnangagwaJacob FreyKais SaiedLi PengNarendra ModiNicolas MaduroRecep Tayyip ErdoğanShehbaz SharifVladimir PutinXi Jinping

20 incidents match this view.

TableCardsCSVJSONMarkdown
DateIncidentCountryTacticHead of governmentOutcome
29 January 2025Pakistan amends cybercrime law to create new agency policing 'fake' online contentPakistan (RSF 2026 rank: 153rd of 180)Official labelsShehbaz SharifSustained
16 January 2025Tunisia's cybercrime decree pushes jailed-journalist count to highest since 1992Tunisia (RSF 2026 rank: 137th of 180)Insult and defamation lawsKais SaiedSustained
28 July 2024Venezuela detains, expels and restricts journalists after disputed 2024 electionVenezuela (RSF 2026 rank: 159th of 180)Detention and violenceNicolas MaduroSustained
14 July 2023Zimbabwe's Patriotic Act criminalizes journalists' contact with foreign governmentsZimbabwe (RSF 2026 rank: 124th of 180)Secrets and espionage lawsEmmerson MnangagwaSustained (14 July 2023)
16 June 2022Russia: entry bans, visa restrictions and bureau closures for foreign correspondentsRussia (RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180)Access bansVladimir PutinSustained (16 June 2022)
18 May 2022Russia: CBC/Radio-Canada bureau closed and journalists' visas cancelledRussia (RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180)Expulsion and visa denialVladimir PutinSustained (18 May 2022)
13 May 2022Ethiopia: Economist correspondent Tom Gardner expelledEthiopia (RSF 2026 rank: 148th of 180)Expulsion and visa denialAbiy AhmedSustained (13 May 2022)
4 March 2022Russia criminalizes 'fake' reporting on the military, up to 15 years in prisonRussia (RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180)Insult and defamation lawsVladimir PutinSustained
29 August 2020Belarus: accreditation withdrawn from 17 journalists working for foreign outletsBelarus (RSF 2026 rank: 165th of 180)Access bansAlexander LukashenkoSustained (29 August 2020)
29 May 2020Minneapolis police projectile permanently blinds photojournalist Linda TiradoUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Detention and violenceJacob FreySustained (26 May 2022)
18 March 2020China: press credentials and visas withheld from correspondents at three American newspapersChina (RSF 2026 rank: 178th of 180)Credential controlXi JinpingSustained (3 March 2021)
17 March 2020China expels American journalists from three major U.S. newspapersChina (RSF 2026 rank: 178th of 180)Expulsion and visa denialXi JinpingSustained
19 February 2020China: three Wall Street Journal correspondents expelled over an opinion headlineChina (RSF 2026 rank: 178th of 180)Access bansXi JinpingSustained (19 February 2020)
7 November 2019India: journalist Aatish Taseer's overseas citizenship revokedIndia (RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180)Expulsion and visa denialNarendra ModiSustained (7 November 2019)
17 January 2019Turkiye: Dutch freelance journalist Ans Boersma deportedTürkiye (RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180)Expulsion and visa denialRecep Tayyip ErdoğanSustained (17 January 2019)
September 2018Nicaragua: freelance correspondent detained and deported after online campaignNicaragua (RSF 2026 rank: 168th of 180)Expulsion and visa denialDaniel OrtegaSustained (30 September 2018)
20 May 2013United States search warrant names Fox News reporter James Rosen a possible co-conspirator in a leak caseUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Surveillance and subpoenasBarack ObamaSustained (12 July 2013)
13 May 2013United States Justice Department secretly seizes two months of Associated Press phone recordsUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Surveillance and subpoenasBarack ObamaSustained (12 July 2013)
14 June 1989China expels foreign journalists and restricts coverage of the Tiananmen Square protestsChina (RSF 2026 rank: 178th of 180)Expulsion and visa denialLi PengSustained (1 January 1990)
November 1955United States Senate panel subpoenas dozens of New York Times journalists over Communist tiesUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Surveillance and subpoenasDwight D. EisenhowerSustained (1 December 1956)
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