The War On News

A record of government actions against journalism and fact-based reporting, 1900 to today

Search, 1900 to 1949, national level

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
CountryAustralia, RSF 2026 rank: 33rd of 180Brazil, RSF 2026 rank: 52nd of 180Germany, RSF 2026 rank: 14th of 180Israel, RSF 2026 rank: 116th of 180Portugal, RSF 2026 rank: 10th of 180Russia, RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180Spain, RSF 2026 rank: 29th of 180United States, RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180
ContinentAsiaEuropeNorth AmericaSouth AmericaOceania
TacticPrior restraint 7Shutdowns and blocking 3Secrets and espionage laws 3Licensing and closure of outlets 3Credential control 2Insult and defamation laws 1
StagePressure 1Silence 9
OutcomeReversed 5Ongoing 2Upheld by a court 2Sustained 1
LevelNational 10
Head of governmentAdolf HitlerAntónio de Oliveira SalazarDavid Ben-GurionFrancisco FrancoFranklin D. RooseveltGetúlio VargasJohn CurtinVladimir LeninWoodrow Wilson

10 incidents match this view.

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DateIncidentCountryTacticHead of governmentOutcome
1948Israel retains a British-era law giving the military the power to review and restrict the pressIsrael (RSF 2026 rank: 116th of 180)Prior restraintDavid Ben-GurionOngoing (1 January 1989)
16 April 1944Australia's wartime government seizes a Sydney newspaper edition under press controls rulesAustralia (RSF 2026 rank: 33rd of 180)Prior restraintJohn CurtinReversed (18 April 1944)
19 December 1941United States creates an Office of Censorship and a wartime code for the pressUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Prior restraintFranklin D. RooseveltSustained (28 September 1945)
1939Brazil's Vargas government creates a state messaging department with broad press powersBrazil (RSF 2026 rank: 52nd of 180)Licensing and closure of outletsGetúlio VargasReversed (1 January 1945)
April 1938Franco's Spain requires state permission to be a journalist under a wartime Press LawSpain (RSF 2026 rank: 29th of 180)Credential controlFrancisco FrancoReversed (1 April 1977)
4 October 1933Nazi Germany's Editors Law bars Jewish journalists from the press and puts editors under state directionGermany (RSF 2026 rank: 14th of 180)Credential controlAdolf HitlerReversed (8 May 1945)
1933Portugal's Salazar government formally establishes press controls under a new constitutionPortugal (RSF 2026 rank: 10th of 180)Prior restraintAntónio de Oliveira SalazarReversed (25 April 1974)
1922Soviet Russia creates Glavlit, a central office to review all printed material before publicationRussia (RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180)Prior restraintVladimir LeninOngoing (1 January 1989)
July 1917United States postmaster bars the magazine The Masses from the mail under the Espionage ActUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Secrets and espionage lawsWoodrow WilsonUpheld by a court (1 November 1917)
1917United States Postmaster General Burleson strips the Milwaukee Leader of its mailing rateUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Shutdowns and blockingWoodrow WilsonUpheld by a court (7 March 1921)
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