The War On News

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

Search, from 2020, outcome ongoing

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
CountryBangladesh, RSF 2026 rank: 152nd of 180China, RSF 2026 rank: 178th of 180Ethiopia, RSF 2026 rank: 148th of 180Guatemala, RSF 2026 rank: 128th of 180Hungary, RSF 2026 rank: 74th of 180Iran, RSF 2026 rank: 177th of 180KazakhstanMyanmar, RSF 2026 rank: 166th of 180Philippines, RSF 2026 rank: 114th of 180Russia, RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180Serbia, RSF 2026 rank: 104th of 180Türkiye, RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180United States, RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180
ContinentAfricaAsiaEuropeNorth America
TacticAccess bans 7Lawsuits against the press 6Detention and violence 6Credential control 4Funding and ownership pressure 3Secrets and espionage laws 3Surveillance and subpoenas 2Insult and defamation laws 2Shutdowns and blocking 2Prior restraint 1Licensing and closure of outlets 1Official labels 1
StageRestrict 6Pressure 6Punish 10Silence 3Eliminate 5
OutcomeOngoing 30
LevelNational 26State or province 3Municipal 1
Head of governmentAbiy AhmedAlejandro GiammatteiAleksandar VucicDonald TrumpEbrahim RaisiJeff LandryKassym-Jomart TokayevMin Aung HlaingMuhammad YunusRecep Tayyip ErdoğanRodrigo DuterteViktor OrbanVladimir PutinXi Jinping

30 incidents match this view.

TableCardsCSVJSONMarkdown
DateIncidentCountryTacticHead of governmentOutcome
18 September 2026United States: White House hard-pass deactivations for CNN, MS NOW and Politico reporters, September 2026United States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Access bansDonald TrumpOngoing (21 September 2026)
20 August 2026Kazakhstan: fabricated copyright complaints used against journalistsKazakhstan (RSF rank: not recorded)Lawsuits against the pressKassym-Jomart TokayevOngoing (20 August 2026)
28 April 2026Appeals court orders FCC to respond to challenge over 'news distortion' policyUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Funding and ownership pressureDonald TrumpOngoing (28 April 2026)
10 March 2026Hungary: a ruling-party mayor forcibly removes Telex reporters from a campaign eventHungary (RSF 2026 rank: 74th of 180)Access bansViktor OrbanOngoing (10 March 2026)
15 October 2025United States: News organizations turn in their Pentagon press credentials, October 2025United States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Credential controlDonald TrumpOngoing (9 April 2026)
19 September 2025United States: Department of Defense press credential rules requiring approval before release of information, September 2025United States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Credential controlDonald TrumpOngoing (9 April 2026)
15 September 2025Trump files, then refiles, $15 billion defamation suit against the New York TimesUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Lawsuits against the pressDonald TrumpOngoing (16 October 2025)
5 September 2025Serbian police strike, detain and disarm journalists covering anti-government protestsSerbia (RSF 2026 rank: 104th of 180)Detention and violenceAleksandar VucicOngoing
3 September 2025Ethiopia arrests at least six journalists including Sheger FM staff over election-year coverageEthiopia (RSF 2026 rank: 148th of 180)Detention and violenceAbiy AhmedOngoing (22 September 2025)
18 July 2025Trump sues Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch over Epstein birthday letter storyUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Lawsuits against the pressDonald TrumpOngoing
15 March 2025United States: U.S. Agency for Global Media action to shut down Voice of America operations, March 2025United States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Funding and ownership pressureDonald TrumpOngoing (28 March 2025)
11 February 2025United States: White House exclusion of the Associated Press from the Oval Office and Air Force One, February 2025United States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Access bansDonald TrumpOngoing (22 July 2025)
3 February 2025Journalists beaten in Bangladesh in separate incidents as interim government drafts new cyber lawsBangladesh (RSF 2026 rank: 152nd of 180)Detention and violenceMuhammad YunusOngoing
31 January 2025United States (Louisiana): Federal court order blocking enforcement of the police buffer zone law, January 2025United States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Access bansJeff LandryOngoing (31 January 2025)
22 January 2025FCC chair reopens 'news distortion' complaints against CBS and NBCUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Funding and ownership pressureDonald TrumpOngoing
16 December 2024Trump sues Des Moines Register and pollster Ann Selzer over final Iowa pollUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Lawsuits against the pressDonald TrumpOngoing (10 July 2026)
November 2024China: editor Dong Yuyu is sentenced to seven years for espionage over meals with a diplomatChina (RSF 2026 rank: 178th of 180)Secrets and espionage lawsXi JinpingOngoing (1 November 2024)
20 August 2024Kazakhstan: new accreditation rules let officials withdraw a journalist's pass for off-topic questionsKazakhstan (RSF rank: not recorded)Credential controlKassym-Jomart TokayevOngoing (3 September 2024)
24 May 2024United States (Louisiana): 25-foot buffer zone law around police officers, May 2024United States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Access bansJeff LandryOngoing (31 January 2025)
17 January 2024Iran: journalists Niloofar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi are sentenced to 13 and 12 yearsIran (RSF 2026 rank: 177th of 180)Secrets and espionage lawsEbrahim RaisiOngoing (17 January 2024)
1 November 2023Turkish authorities detain three journalists under 'disinformation' lawTürkiye (RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180)Insult and defamation lawsRecep Tayyip ErdoğanOngoing
14 June 2023Guatemala convicts investigative journalist Jose Ruben Zamora on money-laundering chargeGuatemala (RSF 2026 rank: 128th of 180)Detention and violenceAlejandro GiammatteiOngoing
5 September 2022Russia: journalist Ivan Safronov is sentenced to 22 years for treasonRussia (RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180)Secrets and espionage lawsVladimir PutinOngoing (5 September 2022)
22 January 2022Turkiye: journalist Sedef Kabas is arrested for a proverb about President ErdoganTürkiye (RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180)Insult and defamation lawsRecep Tayyip ErdoğanOngoing (22 June 2023)
14 January 2022Turkiye: journalist Sedef Kabas tried for insulting the presidentTürkiye (RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180)Lawsuits against the pressRecep Tayyip ErdoğanOngoing (22 June 2023)
July 2021Hungary: investigative journalist Szabolcs Panyi's phone is infected with Pegasus spywareHungary (RSF 2026 rank: 74th of 180)Surveillance and subpoenasViktor OrbanOngoing (1 July 2021)
February 2021Myanmar: military cuts mobile internet after seizing powerMyanmar (RSF 2026 rank: 166th of 180)Shutdowns and blockingMin Aung HlaingOngoing (3 May 2021)
November 2020Ethiopia: internet and phone service cut across TigrayEthiopia (RSF 2026 rank: 148th of 180)Shutdowns and blockingAbiy AhmedOngoing (3 May 2021)
15 June 2020Philippines: Maria Ressa convicted of cyber libelPhilippines (RSF 2026 rank: 114th of 180)Lawsuits against the pressRodrigo DuterteOngoing (15 June 2020)
14 May 2020China: citizen journalist Zhang Zhan imprisoned for Wuhan reportingChina (RSF 2026 rank: 178th of 180)Detention and violenceXi JinpingOngoing
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