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: shutdowns and blocking, stage: punish

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
CountryIran, RSF 2026 rank: 177th of 180Russia, RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180United States, RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180Venezuela, RSF 2026 rank: 159th of 180
ContinentAsiaEuropeNorth AmericaSouth America
TacticShutdowns and blocking 4Expulsion and visa denial 3Detention and violence 2Insult and defamation laws 1
StagePunish 4
OutcomeSustained 2Unknown 1Upheld by a court 1
LevelNational 4
Head of governmentMahmoud AhmadinejadNicolas MaduroVladimir PutinWoodrow Wilson

4 incidents match this view.

TableCardsCSVJSONMarkdown
DateIncidentCountryTacticHead of governmentOutcome
28 July 2024Venezuela detains, expels and restricts journalists after disputed 2024 electionVenezuela (RSF 2026 rank: 159th of 180)Detention and violenceNicolas MaduroSustained
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
21 June 2009Iran expels a BBC correspondent and restricts foreign journalists after a disputed 2009 electionIran (RSF 2026 rank: 177th of 180)Expulsion and visa denialMahmoud AhmadinejadUnknown
1917United States convicts Mother Earth editor Emma Goldman of draft conspiracy and bars her magazine from the mailUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Detention and violenceWoodrow WilsonUpheld by a court (14 January 1918)
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