# Ladder: credential control, in North America

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).

## Restrict

Limiting access or credentials for particular reporters or outlets: bans from briefings or buildings, pool changes, credential revocations, accreditation refusals.

| Date | Country | Head of government | What was done | Outcome | Sources |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 7 November 2018 | Focal case: [United States](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/us) ([RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) | [Donald Trump](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/donald-trump) | On November 7, 2018, the White House suspended the hard pass of CNN's White House correspondent, Jim Acosta, after what Gulf News called a "heated confrontation" between Acosta and the president of the United States, Donald Trump, at a news conference after the country's midterm elections. [Full entry](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2018-white-house-revokes-acosta-press-pass) | Reversed (19 November 2018) | 8 |
| 7 November 2018 | Focal case: [United States](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/us) ([RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) | [Donald Trump](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/donald-trump) | After CNN's Jim Acosta questioned President Trump at a news conference and briefly kept hold of a microphone as an intern reached for it, the White House suspended his hard pass, the standing credential letting reporters enter the grounds; a federal judge ordered it restored a week later. [Full entry](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2018-us-cnn-acosta-credential-revoked) | Reversed (19 November 2018) | 2 |
| 25 February 2025 | Focal case: [United States](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/us) ([RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) | [Donald Trump](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/donald-trump) | On February 25, 2025, the White House announced that it would decide which journalists join the press pool, the small rotating group of reporters who cover the president of the United States in spaces such as the Oval Office and Air Force One and share what they gather with other outlets. [Full entry](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-whca-loses-control-of-press-pool) | Sustained (22 September 2026) | 3 |
| 19 September 2025 | Focal case: [United States](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/us) ([RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) | [Donald Trump](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/donald-trump) | On September 19, 2025, the United States Department of Defense, the federal department that provides the country's military forces, issued new credential rules for reporters at the Pentagon, its headquarters building, under the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth. [Full entry](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-pentagon-issues-new-press-credentialing-rules) | Ongoing (9 April 2026) | 5 |
| 15 October 2025 | Focal case: [United States](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/us) ([RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) | [Donald Trump](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/donald-trump) | Beginning on October 15, 2025, reporters from at least 30 news organizations vacated the press workspace at the Pentagon, the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, rather than sign the department's new credential pledge, with a deadline of October 17 to remove their belongings. [Full entry](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-pentagon-press-corps-forfeits-badges) | Ongoing (9 April 2026) | 2 |
| 18 September 2026 | Focal case: [United States](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/us) ([RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) | [Donald Trump](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/donald-trump) | On September 18, 2026, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, announced that CNN, MS NOW and Politico would be banned from the White House. [Full entry](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2026-white-house-bans-cnn-msnow-politico) | Ongoing (21 September 2026) | 33 |

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