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: funding and ownership pressure

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 180Ecuador, RSF 2026 rank: 125th of 180Egypt, RSF 2026 rank: 169th of 180El Salvador, RSF 2026 rank: 143rd of 180Georgia, RSF 2026 rank: 135th of 180Hungary, RSF 2026 rank: 74th of 180Malaysia, RSF 2026 rank: 95th of 180PeruPoland, RSF 2026 rank: 27th of 180Russia, RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180Serbia, RSF 2026 rank: 104th of 180Slovakia, RSF 2026 rank: 37th of 180Tanzania, RSF 2026 rank: 117th of 180Türkiye, RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180United Kingdom, RSF 2026 rank: 18th of 180United States, RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180
ContinentAfricaAsiaEuropeNorth AmericaSouth America
TacticFunding and ownership pressure 33Licensing and closure of outlets 9Official labels 4Insult and defamation laws 2Surveillance and subpoenas 2Lawsuits against the press 1Prior restraint 1Shutdowns and blocking 1
StagePressure 22Punish 1Silence 10
OutcomeSustained 18Reversed 6Ongoing 5Unknown 4
LevelNational 32State or province 1
Head of governmentAlberto FujimoriArtur da Costa e SilvaBeata SzydloDonald TrumpGamal Abdel NasserHun SenIrakli KobakhidzeJavier MileiJohn MagufuliMahathir MohamadMateusz MorawieckiNayib BukeleOscar K. AllenRafael CorreaRecep Tayyip ErdoğanRichard NixonRobert FicoSlobodan MilosevicStanley BaldwinViktor OrbanVladimir Putin

33 incidents match this view.

TableCardsCSVJSONMarkdown
DateIncidentCountryTacticHead of governmentOutcome
4 August 2026Russia: asset freezes on exiled "foreign agents", Aug 2026Russia (RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180)Official labelsVladimir PutinSustained (4 August 2026)
28 April 2026Appeals court orders FCC to respond to challenge over 'news distortion' policyUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Funding and ownership pressureDonald TrumpOngoing (28 April 2026)
April 2026El Salvador: freeze on assets of shareholders in El Faro's parent company, February to April 2026El Salvador (RSF 2026 rank: 143rd of 180)Funding and ownership pressureNayib BukeleSustained (8 May 2026)
17 September 2025United States: Federal Communications Commission chairman's remarks and the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, September 2025United States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Funding and ownership pressureDonald TrumpReversed (23 September 2025)
24 July 2025FCC approves Paramount-Skydance merger after CBS ombudsman and anti-DEI pledgesUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Funding and ownership pressureDonald TrumpSustained (24 July 2025)
18 July 2025Congress cuts $1.1 billion in federal funding for public broadcastingUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Funding and ownership pressureDonald TrumpSustained (24 July 2025)
1 May 2025United States: Executive Order 14290 directing an end to federal funding for NPR and PBS, May 2025United States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Funding and ownership pressureDonald TrumpUnknown
22 April 202560 Minutes executive producer resigns, citing lost editorial independenceUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Funding and ownership pressureDonald TrumpSustained (22 April 2025)
15 March 2025United States: U.S. Agency for Global Media action to shut down Voice of America operations, March 2025United States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Funding and ownership pressureDonald TrumpOngoing (28 March 2025)
22 January 2025FCC chair reopens 'news distortion' complaints against CBS and NBCUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Funding and ownership pressureDonald TrumpOngoing
20 June 2024Slovakia's parliament dissolves public broadcaster RTVS, replaces it with STVRSlovakia (RSF 2026 rank: 37th of 180)Licensing and closure of outletsRobert FicoSustained (1 July 2024)
28 May 2024Georgia 'foreign influence' law for media, 2024Georgia (RSF 2026 rank: 135th of 180)Official labelsIrakli KobakhidzeSustained
4 March 2024Milei's government shuts down Argentina's state news agency TelamArgentina (RSF 2026 rank: 98th of 180)Funding and ownership pressureJavier MileiSustained
20 December 2023Hungary: National Sovereignty Protection Act and Sovereignty Protection Office, December 2023Hungary (RSF 2026 rank: 74th of 180)Official labelsViktor OrbanReversed (30 June 2026)
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)
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)
29 November 2018Hungary: formation of the KESMA pro-government media foundationHungary (RSF 2026 rank: 74th of 180)Funding and ownership pressureViktor OrbanSustained (29 November 2018)
21 March 2018Türkiye: Dogan Holding sells its media outlets to DemirorenTürkiye (RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180)Funding and ownership pressureRecep Tayyip ErdoğanSustained (21 March 2018)
16 March 2018Tanzania requires bloggers and online publishers to register and pay an annual government feeTanzania (RSF 2026 rank: 117th of 180)Licensing and closure of outletsJohn MagufuliUnknown (12 April 2018)
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)
4 March 2016Türkiye: court installs trustees at Zaman newspaperTürkiye (RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180)Funding and ownership pressureRecep Tayyip ErdoğanSustained (4 March 2016)
31 December 2015Poland's new government gains power to replace public broadcaster leadership, and journalists are dismissedPoland (RSF 2026 rank: 27th of 180)Funding and ownership pressureBeata SzydloSustained (31 December 2019)
25 June 2013Ecuador's Organic Communication Law creates a regulator that issues hundreds of sanctions against journalists and outletsEcuador (RSF 2026 rank: 125th of 180)Funding and ownership pressureRafael CorreaReversed (20 February 2019)
21 December 2010Hungary's parliament gives a government-appointed media council power to fine outlets for unbalanced coverageHungary (RSF 2026 rank: 74th of 180)Funding and ownership pressureViktor OrbanSustained (1 January 2011)
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)
20 October 1998Serbia's Public Information Act lets courts fine independent newspapers into financial dangerSerbia (RSF 2026 rank: 104th of 180)Insult and defamation lawsSlobodan MilosevicReversed (1 October 2000)
20 September 1998Malaysia pressures domestic media and monitors foreign correspondents after arresting former deputy premier Anwar IbrahimMalaysia (RSF 2026 rank: 95th of 180)Surveillance and subpoenasMahathir MohamadUnknown
July 1997Peru strips television station owner Baruch Ivcher of his citizenship after critical reportingPeru (RSF rank: not recorded)Funding and ownership pressureAlberto FujimoriSustained
16 August 1971Nixon White House compiles an enemies list naming journalists for official pressureUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Surveillance and subpoenasRichard NixonReversed (27 June 1973)
13 December 1968Brazil's military government decrees the Fifth Institutional Act and moves to control the pressBrazil (RSF 2026 rank: 52nd of 180)Prior restraintArtur da Costa e SilvaUnknown
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)
12 July 1934United States: Louisiana taxes large newspapers' advertising revenue; the tax is struck down in Grosjean v. American Press Co.United States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Funding and ownership pressureOscar K. AllenReversed (10 February 1936)
May 1926United Kingdom: Government requisitions newsprint and restricts rival newspapers during the 1926 General StrikeUnited Kingdom (RSF 2026 rank: 18th of 180)Funding and ownership pressureStanley BaldwinOngoing (10 May 1926)
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