{
  "title": "Ladder: official labels, in Europe",
  "canonical_url": "https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/disinformation_labeling?continent=europe",
  "filters": {
    "continent": "europe"
  },
  "counts_caveat": "The number of entries reflects the depth of this record, not the severity of a country's conduct.",
  "tactic": {
    "slug": "disinformation_labeling",
    "name": "Official labels",
    "definition": "A government officially brands a news outlet or a journalist as a source of disinformation or \"fake news\", or requires it to register as an agent of another country. Such labels often carry reporting duties and restrictions, and can cost the outlet its audience and advertisers.",
    "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/tactics/disinformation_labeling"
  },
  "focal_case": "US",
  "count": 5,
  "stages": [
    {
      "stage": "pressure",
      "name": "Pressure",
      "definition": "Using state power short of prosecution to change coverage: regulatory threats, licence reviews, funding cuts, lawsuits by officials, official \"fake news\" or \"foreign agent\" labels, advertising pressure, tax audits.",
      "rungs": [
        {
          "slug": "2019-russia-fake-news-disrespect-law",
          "title": "Russia: new laws penalize online \"fake news\" and \"disrespecting authorities\"",
          "occurred_on": "2019-03-07",
          "occurred_on_precision": "day",
          "stage": "pressure",
          "focal_case": false,
          "country": "RU",
          "country_name": "Russia",
          "continent": "europe",
          "rsf": {
            "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index",
            "year": 2026,
            "rank": 172,
            "of": 180,
            "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180",
            "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index"
          },
          "leader_slug": "vladimir-putin",
          "leader_name": "Vladimir Putin",
          "what_was_done": "Russia's parliament passed laws letting courts jail and fine people, including journalists, for posting information the government alone judges to be false, or for statements found to disrespect officials or state symbols online.",
          "outcome": "sustained",
          "outcome_on": "2019-03-07",
          "outcome_note": "The laws were enacted and were later expanded in March 2022 to include prison terms of up to 15 years for wartime 'fakes.'",
          "ladder_note": "Russia's parliament created fines and jail terms for online posts that authorities alone judge false or disrespectful of officials; no enacted United States law imposes jail time for calling an official statement false.",
          "sources_count": 3,
          "tactic_primary": "disinformation_labeling",
          "tactics": [
            "disinformation_labeling"
          ],
          "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2019-russia-fake-news-disrespect-law"
        },
        {
          "slug": "2021-russia-designates-meduza-foreign-agent",
          "title": "Russia: independent outlet Meduza designated a 'foreign agent'",
          "occurred_on": "2021-04-23",
          "occurred_on_precision": "day",
          "stage": "pressure",
          "focal_case": false,
          "country": "RU",
          "country_name": "Russia",
          "continent": "europe",
          "rsf": {
            "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index",
            "year": 2026,
            "rank": 172,
            "of": 180,
            "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180",
            "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index"
          },
          "leader_slug": "vladimir-putin",
          "leader_name": "Vladimir Putin",
          "what_was_done": "Russia's Justice Ministry labeled the independent news site Meduza and outlet PASMI \"foreign agents,\" a status requiring constant public disclosure, quarterly reports and audits, and carrying up to two years in prison for noncompliance, which Meduza said would destroy its advertising business.",
          "outcome": "sustained",
          "outcome_on": "2021-04-23",
          "outcome_note": "The designation was not reversed; Russia later declared Meduza an 'undesirable organization' and outlawed it entirely.",
          "ladder_note": "Russia's foreign agent label forced an outlet to mark every article, file quarterly reports and risk two years in prison for lapses, by its own editor's account destroying its advertising business; no United States \"fake news\" designation carries a legal reporting duty or prison exposure.",
          "sources_count": 2,
          "tactic_primary": "disinformation_labeling",
          "tactics": [
            "disinformation_labeling"
          ],
          "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2021-russia-designates-meduza-foreign-agent"
        },
        {
          "slug": "2022-belarus-labels-dw-extremist",
          "title": "Belarus: Deutsche Welle and other outlets labeled 'extremist'",
          "occurred_on": "2022-03-09",
          "occurred_on_precision": "day",
          "stage": "pressure",
          "focal_case": false,
          "country": "BY",
          "country_name": "Belarus",
          "continent": "europe",
          "rsf": {
            "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index",
            "year": 2026,
            "rank": 165,
            "of": 180,
            "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 165th of 180",
            "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index"
          },
          "leader_slug": "alexander-lukashenko",
          "leader_name": "Alexander Lukashenko",
          "what_was_done": "A Minsk court declared all output from German broadcaster Deutsche Welle \"extremist,\" alongside a local newspaper and a Russian blogger's videos, making it a crime to produce, store or share the labeled material, as a former correspondent was jailed the same week.",
          "outcome": "sustained",
          "outcome_on": "2022-03-09",
          "outcome_note": "The designation brought the total number of outlets labeled extremist in Belarus to 20 and was not reported as reversed.",
          "ladder_note": "Belarus banned a foreign broadcaster's entire output as extremist material, making it a crime to read or share it, and jailed a former correspondent the same week; no United States \"fake news\" label makes sharing an outlet's work a crime.",
          "sources_count": 2,
          "tactic_primary": "disinformation_labeling",
          "tactics": [
            "disinformation_labeling"
          ],
          "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2022-belarus-labels-dw-extremist"
        },
        {
          "slug": "2023-hungary-sovereignty-protection-act",
          "title": "Hungary: National Sovereignty Protection Act and Sovereignty Protection Office, December 2023",
          "occurred_on": "2023-12-20",
          "occurred_on_precision": "day",
          "stage": "pressure",
          "focal_case": false,
          "country": "HU",
          "country_name": "Hungary",
          "continent": "europe",
          "rsf": {
            "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index",
            "year": 2026,
            "rank": 74,
            "of": 180,
            "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 74th of 180",
            "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index"
          },
          "leader_slug": "viktor-orban",
          "leader_name": "Viktor Orban",
          "what_was_done": "On December 20, 2023, the president of Hungary, Katalin Novák, promulgated the National Sovereignty Protection Act, passed by the National Assembly, Hungary's parliament, during the government of the prime minister, Viktor Orbán.",
          "outcome": "reversed",
          "outcome_on": "2026-06-30",
          "outcome_note": "The National Assembly abolished the Sovereignty Protection Office on 2026-06-30, according to CPJ (s055).",
          "ladder_note": null,
          "sources_count": 3,
          "tactic_primary": "disinformation_labeling",
          "tactics": [
            "disinformation_labeling",
            "funding_and_ownership_pressure"
          ],
          "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2023-hungary-sovereignty-protection-act"
        },
        {
          "slug": "2026-russia-new-law-targets-exiled-journalists-assets",
          "title": "Russia: asset freezes on exiled \"foreign agents\", Aug 2026",
          "occurred_on": "2026-08-04",
          "occurred_on_precision": "day",
          "stage": "pressure",
          "focal_case": false,
          "country": "RU",
          "country_name": "Russia",
          "continent": "europe",
          "rsf": {
            "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index",
            "year": 2026,
            "rank": 172,
            "of": 180,
            "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180",
            "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index"
          },
          "leader_slug": "vladimir-putin",
          "leader_name": "Vladimir Putin",
          "what_was_done": "On August 4, 2026, the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, signed a law, adopted unanimously by the Russian parliament on July 24, 2026, that allows the authorities to freeze bank accounts, block property and vehicle sales and deny consular services such as passport renewal to Russians in exile wh…",
          "outcome": "sustained",
          "outcome_on": "2026-08-04",
          "outcome_note": "Signed and in force on 2026-08-04, according to RSF (s062).",
          "ladder_note": null,
          "sources_count": 3,
          "tactic_primary": "disinformation_labeling",
          "tactics": [
            "disinformation_labeling",
            "funding_and_ownership_pressure"
          ],
          "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2026-russia-new-law-targets-exiled-journalists-assets"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
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    "csv": "https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/disinformation_labeling?continent=europe&format=csv",
    "json": "https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/disinformation_labeling.json?continent=europe",
    "md": "https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/disinformation_labeling.md?continent=europe"
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  "license": {
    "name": "CC BY 4.0",
    "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
  }
}