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: secrets and espionage laws, 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
CountryHong Kong, RSF 2026 rank: 140th of 180IndonesiaUnited Kingdom, RSF 2026 rank: 18th of 180United States, RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180Viet NamZimbabwe, RSF 2026 rank: 124th of 180
ContinentAfricaAsiaEuropeNorth America
TacticSecrets and espionage laws 7Licensing and closure of outlets 2Prior restraint 2Detention and violence 1Insult and defamation laws 1Surveillance and subpoenas 1
StagePressure 1Punish 2Silence 2Eliminate 2
OutcomeSustained 7
LevelNational 6State or province 1
Head of governmentAndries Cornelis Dirk de GraeffBarack ObamaEmmerson MnangagwaFranklin D. RooseveltHerbert Henry AsquithJohn LeeNguyen Xuan Phuc

7 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)
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)
14 December 2021Vietnam: journalist Pham Doan Trang is sentenced to nine years for anti-state "propaganda"Viet Nam (RSF rank: not recorded)Secrets and espionage lawsNguyen Xuan PhucSustained (14 December 2021)
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)
19 December 1941United States creates an Office of Censorship and a wartime code for the pressUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Prior restraintFranklin D. RooseveltSustained (28 September 1945)
1926Dutch East Indies: Colonial authorities end publication of the communist newspaper Mawa under Penal Code Article 153 bis, 1926Indonesia (RSF rank: not recorded)Licensing and closure of outletsAndries Cornelis Dirk de GraeffSustained (1 January 1926)
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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