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.

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ContinentAnyAfricaAsiaEuropeNorth AmericaSouth AmericaOceaniaAntarctica

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1. Restrict
2. Pressure
3. Punish
4. Silence
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4Silence

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

DEGermanyRSF 2026 rank: 14th of 180

4 October 1933Adolf 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.

Reversed 8 May 1945 · 2 sources · Full entry

ESSpainRSF 2026 rank: 29th of 180

April 1938Francisco 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…

Reversed 1 April 1977 · 1 source · Full entry

All ladders · Credential control: by country and year · The United States chapter