The War On News

A record of government actions against journalism and fact-based reporting, from the first press laws to today

Search: secrets and espionage laws, 1900 to 1949

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
CountryIndonesiaUnited Kingdom, RSF 2026 rank: 18th of 180United States, RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180
ContinentAsiaEuropeNorth America
TacticSecrets and espionage laws 8Prior restraint 2Detention and violence 2Shutdowns and blocking 2Licensing and closure of outlets 1
StagePressure 2Punish 2Silence 4
OutcomeUpheld by a court 4Sustained 3Reversed 1
LevelNational 7State or province 1
Head of governmentAlfred E. SmithAndries Cornelis Dirk de GraeffFranklin D. RooseveltHerbert Henry AsquithWoodrow Wilson

8 incidents match this view.

TableCardsCSVJSONMarkdown
DateIncidentCountryTacticHead of governmentOutcome
August 1942United States: Justice Department investigates the Chicago Tribune under the Espionage Act over Battle of Midway coverageUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Secrets and espionage lawsFranklin D. RooseveltReversed (1 August 1942)
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)
1926Dutch East Indies: Colonial authorities end publication of the communist newspaper Mawa under Penal Code Article 153 bis, 1926Indonesia (RSF rank: not recorded)Licensing and closure of outletsAndries Cornelis Dirk de GraeffSustained (1 January 1926)
8 June 1925United States: Supreme Court upholds Benjamin Gitlow's conviction under New York's Criminal Anarchy Law, 1925United States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Secrets and espionage lawsAlfred E. SmithUpheld by a court (8 June 1925)
26 June 1918United States convicts newspaper editor Jacob Frohwerk under the Espionage Act, June 1918United States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Secrets and espionage lawsWoodrow WilsonUpheld by a court (10 March 1919)
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)
27 August 1914Britain's Official Press Bureau controls newspaper coverage of the First World WarUnited Kingdom (RSF 2026 rank: 18th of 180)Prior restraintHerbert Henry AsquithSustained (12 November 1914)
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