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: licensing and closure of outlets, stage: silence

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 180Brazil, RSF 2026 rank: 52nd of 180Cambodia, RSF 2026 rank: 151st of 180Canada, RSF 2026 rank: 20th of 180Egypt, RSF 2026 rank: 169th of 180Germany, RSF 2026 rank: 14th of 180GreeceHong Kong, RSF 2026 rank: 140th of 180Hungary, RSF 2026 rank: 74th of 180India, RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180IndonesiaMalaysia, RSF 2026 rank: 95th of 180Myanmar, RSF 2026 rank: 166th of 180Russia, RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180South Africa, RSF 2026 rank: 21st of 180South Korea, RSF 2026 rank: 47th of 180Türkiye, RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180United Kingdom, RSF 2026 rank: 18th of 180Venezuela, RSF 2026 rank: 159th of 180Zimbabwe, RSF 2026 rank: 124th of 180
ContinentAfricaAsiaEuropeNorth AmericaSouth America
TacticLicensing and closure of outlets 27Prior restraint 7Detention and violence 6Funding and ownership pressure 4Shutdowns and blocking 1Credential control 1Secrets and espionage laws 1
StageSilence 27
OutcomeSustained 17Reversed 7Ongoing 2Upheld by a court 1
LevelNational 27
Head of governmentAdolf HitlerAndries Cornelis Dirk de GraeffBalthazar Johannes VorsterCarrie LamChun Doo-hwanDaniel François MalanGamal Abdel NasserGeorgios TsolakoglouGetúlio VargasHugo ChavezHun SenIndira GandhiJavier MileiJuan PerónMahathir MohamadMargaret ThatcherMehmed VMin Aung HlaingRecep Tayyip ErdoğanRobert MugabeViktor OrbanVladimir LeninVladimir PutinWilliam Lyon Mackenzie King

27 incidents match this view.

TableCardsCSVJSONMarkdown
DateIncidentCountryTacticHead of governmentOutcome
4 March 2024Milei's government shuts down Argentina's state news agency TelamArgentina (RSF 2026 rank: 98th of 180)Funding and ownership pressureJavier MileiSustained
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)
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)
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)
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)
4 September 2017Cambodia's government forces the closure of The Cambodia Daily with a disputed multimillion-dollar tax billCambodia (RSF 2026 rank: 151st of 180)Licensing and closure of outletsHun SenSustained (4 September 2017)
27 July 2016Turkey closes more than 100 media outlets by decree after a failed coup attemptTürkiye (RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180)Licensing and closure of outletsRecep Tayyip ErdoğanSustained (31 December 2016)
27 May 2007Venezuela: the government declines to renew RCTV's broadcast concessionVenezuela (RSF 2026 rank: 159th of 180)Licensing and closure of outletsHugo ChavezSustained (8 September 2015)
12 September 2003Zimbabwe: police close the Daily News under the media registration lawZimbabwe (RSF 2026 rank: 124th of 180)Licensing and closure of outletsRobert MugabeReversed (27 May 2010)
14 April 2001State-controlled Gazprom takes formal control of Russia's independent NTV television networkRussia (RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180)Funding and ownership pressureVladimir PutinSustained (14 April 2001)
October 1988United Kingdom bars broadcasters from airing Sinn Féin members' own voicesUnited Kingdom (RSF 2026 rank: 18th of 180)Licensing and closure of outletsMargaret ThatcherReversed (16 September 1994)
1987Malaysia: Printing Presses and Publications Act amended to bar court review of publishing permits, 1987Malaysia (RSF 2026 rank: 95th of 180)Licensing and closure of outletsMahathir MohamadSustained
31 July 1980South Korea's martial-law government purges journalists who resisted press controlsSouth Korea (RSF 2026 rank: 47th of 180)Licensing and closure of outletsChun Doo-hwanReversed (1 June 1987)
19 October 1977South Africa bans The World and Weekend World newspapers and detains editor Percy QobozaSouth Africa (RSF 2026 rank: 21st of 180)Licensing and closure of outletsBalthazar Johannes VorsterSustained (1 March 1978)
26 June 1975India imposes pre-press controls on every newspaper during the 1975 EmergencyIndia (RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180)Prior restraintIndira GandhiReversed (21 March 1977)
24 May 1960Egypt's Nasser government nationalizes every newspaper and magazine in the countryEgypt (RSF 2026 rank: 169th of 180)Funding and ownership pressureGamal Abdel NasserOngoing (1 January 1989)
October 1951Argentina: President Juan Perón's government hands the expropriated newspaper La Prensa to the CGT labor federation, October 1951Argentina (RSF 2026 rank: 98th of 180)Licensing and closure of outletsJuan PerónSustained (1 October 1951)
17 July 1950South Africa's Suppression of Communism Act lets the government ban publications and restrict individualsSouth Africa (RSF 2026 rank: 21st of 180)Prior restraintDaniel François MalanReversed (31 July 1991)
8 May 1941Greece: collaborationist government creates a Directorate-General for Press and Radio to review films and publications before releaseGreece (RSF rank: not recorded)Prior restraintGeorgios TsolakoglouSustained
3 September 1939Canada: War Measures Act regulations authorize review of hundreds of newspapers and ban political organizationsCanada (RSF 2026 rank: 20th of 180)Prior restraintWilliam Lyon Mackenzie KingSustained (31 December 1945)
1939Brazil's Vargas government creates a state messaging department with broad press powersBrazil (RSF 2026 rank: 52nd of 180)Licensing and closure of outletsGetúlio VargasReversed (1 January 1945)
4 October 1933Nazi Germany's Editors Law bars Jewish journalists, 1933Germany (RSF 2026 rank: 14th of 180)Credential controlAdolf HitlerReversed (8 May 1945)
28 February 1933Germany: Reichstag Fire Decree suspends freedom of the press, February 1933Germany (RSF 2026 rank: 14th of 180)Licensing and closure of outletsAdolf HitlerSustained (1 May 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)
1922Glavlit created: Soviet censorship office, 1922Russia (RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180)Prior restraintVladimir LeninOngoing (1 January 1989)
9 March 1913Ottoman Empire bars lawmakers and officials from editing newspapers and jails a leading editorTürkiye (RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180)Licensing and closure of outletsMehmed VSustained (9 March 1913)
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