The War On News

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

The record

Incidents

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
CountryArgentina, RSF 2026 rank: 98th of 180Australia, RSF 2026 rank: 33rd of 180AzerbaijanBangladesh, RSF 2026 rank: 152nd of 180Belarus, RSF 2026 rank: 165th of 180Brazil, RSF 2026 rank: 52nd of 180Cambodia, RSF 2026 rank: 151st of 180Canada, RSF 2026 rank: 20th of 180Chile, RSF 2026 rank: 70th of 180China, RSF 2026 rank: 178th of 180Czechia, RSF 2026 rank: 11th of 180Ecuador, RSF 2026 rank: 125th of 180Egypt, RSF 2026 rank: 169th of 180El Salvador, RSF 2026 rank: 143rd of 180EritreaEthiopia, RSF 2026 rank: 148th of 180Georgia, RSF 2026 rank: 135th of 180Germany, RSF 2026 rank: 14th of 180Guatemala, RSF 2026 rank: 128th of 180Haiti, RSF 2026 rank: 107th of 180Hong Kong, RSF 2026 rank: 140th of 180Hungary, RSF 2026 rank: 74th of 180India, RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180Iran, RSF 2026 rank: 177th of 180Israel, RSF 2026 rank: 116th of 180KazakhstanMalaysia, RSF 2026 rank: 95th of 180MaltaMexicoMoroccoMyanmar, RSF 2026 rank: 166th of 180Nicaragua, RSF 2026 rank: 168th of 180Nigeria, RSF 2026 rank: 112th of 180North KoreaPakistan, RSF 2026 rank: 153rd of 180Philippines, RSF 2026 rank: 114th of 180Poland, RSF 2026 rank: 27th of 180Portugal, RSF 2026 rank: 10th of 180Russia, RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180Saudi Arabia, RSF 2026 rank: 176th of 180Serbia, RSF 2026 rank: 104th of 180Slovakia, RSF 2026 rank: 37th of 180South Africa, RSF 2026 rank: 21st of 180South Korea, RSF 2026 rank: 47th of 180Spain, RSF 2026 rank: 29th of 180Tanzania, RSF 2026 rank: 117th of 180ThailandTunisia, RSF 2026 rank: 137th of 180Türkiye, RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180United Kingdom, RSF 2026 rank: 18th of 180United States, RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180Venezuela, RSF 2026 rank: 159th of 180Viet NamZimbabwe, RSF 2026 rank: 124th of 180

190 incidents match. Showing 50 on page 2 of 4.

DateIncidentCountryTacticHead of governmentOutcome
1 November 2023Turkish authorities detain three journalists under 'disinformation' lawTürkiye (RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180)Insult and defamation lawsRecep Tayyip ErdoğanOngoing
21 August 2023India: Gaon Savera's Facebook and X accounts blockedIndia (RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180)Shutdowns and blockingNarendra ModiUnknown
11 August 2023Police raid Marion County Record newsroom and publisher's home in KansasUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Surveillance and subpoenasLaura KellyReversed (5 August 2024)
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)
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 June 2023Guatemala convicts investigative journalist Jose Ruben Zamora on money-laundering chargeGuatemala (RSF 2026 rank: 128th of 180)Detention and violenceAlejandro GiammatteiOngoing
29 March 2023Russia: Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich sentenced to 16 yearsRussia (RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180)Detention and violenceVladimir PutinReversed (1 August 2024)
22 February 2023Turkiye: the broadcast regulator fines and suspends channels for earthquake coverageTürkiye (RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180)Prior restraintRecep Tayyip ErdoğanSustained (22 February 2023)
15 February 2023Russia: journalist Maria Ponomarenko is sentenced to six years for reporting on a Mariupol strikeRussia (RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180)Insult and defamation lawsVladimir PutinSustained (15 February 2023)
15 February 2023Nicaragua strips 94 political opponents, including journalists, of citizenshipNicaragua (RSF 2026 rank: 168th of 180)Expulsion and visa denialDaniel OrtegaSustained
14 February 2023Indian tax authorities search BBC offices weeks after Modi documentary banIndia (RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180)Surveillance and subpoenasNarendra ModiUnknown
13 February 2023Cambodia: Prime Minister Hun Sen orders Voice of Democracy's license revoked over one articleCambodia (RSF 2026 rank: 151st of 180)Licensing and closure of outletsHun SenSustained (13 February 2023)
8 February 2023Belarus: journalist Andrzej Poczobut sentenced to eight yearsBelarus (RSF 2026 rank: 165th of 180)Detention and violenceAlexander LukashenkoReversed (28 April 2026)
8 February 2023Belarus: journalist Andrzej Poczobut is sentenced to eight years for inciting hatredBelarus (RSF 2026 rank: 165th of 180)Insult and defamation lawsAlexander LukashenkoReversed (28 April 2026)
5 September 2022Russia: journalist Ivan Safronov is sentenced to 22 years for treasonRussia (RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180)Secrets and espionage lawsVladimir PutinOngoing (5 September 2022)
5 September 2022Russia: a Moscow court suspends Novaya Gazeta's print licenseRussia (RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180)Licensing and closure of outletsVladimir PutinSustained (5 September 2022)
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)
9 March 2022Belarus: Deutsche Welle and other outlets labeled 'extremist'Belarus (RSF 2026 rank: 165th of 180)Official labelsAlexander LukashenkoSustained (9 March 2022)
4 March 2022Russia: regulator blocks BBC Russian, Deutsche Welle and other outletsRussia (RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180)Shutdowns and blockingVladimir PutinSustained (4 March 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
22 January 2022Turkiye: journalist Sedef Kabas is arrested for a proverb about President ErdoganTürkiye (RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180)Insult and defamation lawsRecep Tayyip ErdoğanOngoing (22 June 2023)
14 January 2022Turkiye: journalist Sedef Kabas tried for insulting the presidentTürkiye (RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180)Lawsuits against the pressRecep Tayyip ErdoğanOngoing (22 June 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)
6 November 2021FBI raids Project Veritas founder's home over Ashley Biden diary investigationUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Surveillance and subpoenasJoe BidenUnknown
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)
19 July 2021Justice Department bars seizing reporters' phone and email recordsUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Surveillance and subpoenasJoe BidenReversed (25 April 2025)
July 2021Hungary: investigative journalist Szabolcs Panyi's phone is infected with Pegasus spywareHungary (RSF 2026 rank: 74th of 180)Surveillance and subpoenasViktor OrbanOngoing (1 July 2021)
24 June 2021China (Hong Kong): Apple Daily closes after its assets are frozen under the national security lawHong Kong (RSF 2026 rank: 140th of 180)Licensing and closure of outletsCarrie LamSustained (24 June 2021)
18 May 2021Belarus blocks Tut.by and arrests its editors as 'extremist'Belarus (RSF 2026 rank: 165th of 180)Shutdowns and blockingAlexander LukashenkoSustained
23 April 2021Russia: independent outlet Meduza designated a 'foreign agent'Russia (RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180)Official labelsVladimir PutinSustained (23 April 2021)
April 2021Poland: state oil company Orlen buys the Polska Press newspaper groupPoland (RSF 2026 rank: 27th of 180)Funding and ownership pressureMateusz MorawieckiSustained (1 April 2021)
1 April 2021Turkiye: the presidency's press card system is found restrictive by the country's top administrative courtTürkiye (RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180)Credential controlRecep Tayyip ErdoğanReversed (1 April 2021)
8 March 2021Myanmar junta revokes five outlets' licenses and raids newsrooms after coupMyanmar (RSF 2026 rank: 166th of 180)Licensing and closure of outletsMin Aung HlaingSustained
14 February 2021Hungary: Klubradio loses its terrestrial broadcast license over its tender applicationHungary (RSF 2026 rank: 74th of 180)Licensing and closure of outletsViktor OrbanUpheld by a court (1 September 2021)
February 2021Myanmar: military cuts mobile internet after seizing powerMyanmar (RSF 2026 rank: 166th of 180)Shutdowns and blockingMin Aung HlaingOngoing (3 May 2021)
November 2020Ethiopia: internet and phone service cut across TigrayEthiopia (RSF 2026 rank: 148th of 180)Shutdowns and blockingAbiy AhmedOngoing (3 May 2021)
12 September 2020Political appointees alter CDC coronavirus guidance before public releaseUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Prior restraintDonald TrumpUnknown
29 August 2020Belarus: accreditation withdrawn from 17 journalists working for foreign outletsBelarus (RSF 2026 rank: 165th of 180)Access bansAlexander LukashenkoSustained (29 August 2020)
24 July 2020Hungary: editor fired and staff resign at Index.huHungary (RSF 2026 rank: 74th of 180)Funding and ownership pressureViktor OrbanSustained (24 July 2020)
23 July 2020Federal officers restrict press access to Portland protests; judge orders them to stopUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Access bansDonald TrumpReversed (23 July 2020)
5 July 2020Morocco: investigative journalist Omar Radi's phone is infected with Pegasus spyware and he is later detainedMorocco (RSF rank: not recorded)Surveillance and subpoenasSaadeddine OthmaniReversed (1 July 2024)
15 June 2020Philippines: Maria Ressa convicted of cyber libelPhilippines (RSF 2026 rank: 114th of 180)Lawsuits against the pressRodrigo DuterteOngoing (15 June 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)
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)
14 May 2020China: citizen journalist Zhang Zhan imprisoned for Wuhan reportingChina (RSF 2026 rank: 178th of 180)Detention and violenceXi JinpingOngoing
15 April 2020Australia's High Court invalidates warrant for raid on journalist Annika SmethurstAustralia (RSF 2026 rank: 33rd of 180)Surveillance and subpoenasScott MorrisonReversed (27 May 2020)
30 March 2020Hungary criminalizes false coronavirus information and grants Orban decree powersHungary (RSF 2026 rank: 74th of 180)Insult and defamation lawsViktor OrbanUnknown
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)
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