# Ladder: credential control, in Europe

A government decides who counts as a journalist through passes, accreditation or licences issued to individual reporters. Officials may refuse, suspend or revoke these credentials, or attach new conditions to them. Because many press areas admit only accredited reporters, control of credentials works as control of access.

The number of entries reflects the depth of this record, not the severity of a country's conduct.

Narrow with ?stage= (restrict, pressure, punish, silence, eliminate), ?continent=, ?from= and ?to= (year or date).

## Silence

Removing outlets or channels from the public sphere: closures, licence withdrawals, forced sales, blocking and shutdowns, prior restraint, nationalisation.

| Date | Country | Head of government | What was done | Outcome | Sources |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 4 October 1933 | [Germany](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/de) ([RSF 2026 rank: 14th of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) | [Adolf Hitler](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/adolf-hitler) | In 1933, Germany's Editors Law (Schriftleitergesetz) required journalists to register with a new state-controlled Reich Press Chamber and barred non-Aryans from the profession. [Full entry](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1933-germany-editors-law) | Reversed (8 May 1945) | 2 |
| April 1938 | [Spain](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/es) ([RSF 2026 rank: 29th of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) | [Francisco Franco](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/francisco-franco) | While Spain's civil war continued, the Nationalist government led by Francisco Franco enacted a Press Law in April 1938 requiring government permission to found a newspaper, work as a journalist or direct a paper, alongside continued pre-publication press controls and years-long prison terms for va… [Full entry](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1938-spain-franco-press-law) | Reversed (1 April 1977) | 1 |

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