The War On News

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

Search, stage: punish, from 2020

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 180Bangladesh, RSF 2026 rank: 152nd of 180Belarus, RSF 2026 rank: 165th of 180China, RSF 2026 rank: 178th of 180Ethiopia, RSF 2026 rank: 148th of 180Hong Kong, RSF 2026 rank: 140th of 180Hungary, RSF 2026 rank: 74th of 180India, RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180KazakhstanMoroccoPakistan, RSF 2026 rank: 153rd of 180Philippines, RSF 2026 rank: 114th of 180Russia, RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180Serbia, RSF 2026 rank: 104th of 180Tunisia, RSF 2026 rank: 137th of 180Türkiye, RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180United States, RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180Venezuela, RSF 2026 rank: 159th of 180Zimbabwe, RSF 2026 rank: 124th of 180
ContinentAfricaAsiaEuropeNorth AmericaSouth AmericaOceania
TacticDetention and violence 14Surveillance and subpoenas 8Insult and defamation laws 8Access bans 6Expulsion and visa denial 5Credential control 3Licensing and closure of outlets 2Shutdowns and blocking 2Lawsuits against the press 2Official labels 1Secrets and espionage laws 1
StagePunish 36
OutcomeSustained 13Ongoing 10Reversed 7Unknown 5Upheld by a court 1
LevelNational 31Municipal 4State or province 1
Head of governmentAbiy AhmedAleksandar VucicAlexander LukashenkoDonald TrumpEmmerson MnangagwaJacob FreyJoe BidenJohn LeeKais SaiedKaren BassKassym-Jomart TokayevLaura KellyMuhammad YunusNarendra ModiNicolas MaduroRecep Tayyip ErdoğanRodrigo DuterteSaadeddine OthmaniScott MorrisonShehbaz SharifTim WalzViktor OrbanVladimir PutinXi Jinping

36 incidents match this view.

TableCardsCSVJSONMarkdown
DateIncidentCountryTacticHead of governmentOutcome
10 July 2026Customs officers seize Grayzone editor's phones at Virginia airport over Iran reportingUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Surveillance and subpoenasDonald TrumpReversed (17 July 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)
10 February 2026India: one-year prison sentence for the journalist Ravi Nair in a criminal defamation case, February 2026India (RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180)Insult and defamation lawsNarendra ModiUnknown (10 February 2026)
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)
9 June 2025Officer shoots Australian journalist with rubber bullet during Los Angeles immigration protestsUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Detention and violenceKaren BassUnknown
19 March 2025Türkiye: detention, injury and deportation of journalists covering protests, March 2025Türkiye (RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180)Detention and violenceRecep Tayyip ErdoğanUnknown (2 April 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
29 January 2025Pakistan amends cybercrime law to create new agency policing 'fake' online contentPakistan (RSF 2026 rank: 153rd of 180)Official labelsShehbaz SharifSustained
16 January 2025Tunisia's cybercrime decree pushes jailed-journalist count to highest since 1992Tunisia (RSF 2026 rank: 137th of 180)Insult and defamation lawsKais SaiedSustained
29 August 2024Hong Kong court convicts Stand News editors of seditionHong Kong (RSF 2026 rank: 140th of 180)Insult and defamation lawsJohn LeeUpheld by a court (26 September 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)
28 July 2024Venezuela detains, expels and restricts journalists after disputed 2024 electionVenezuela (RSF 2026 rank: 159th of 180)Detention and violenceNicolas MaduroSustained
1 November 2023Turkish authorities detain three journalists under 'disinformation' lawTürkiye (RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180)Insult and defamation lawsRecep Tayyip ErdoğanOngoing
11 August 2023Police raid Marion County Record newsroom and publisher's home in KansasUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Surveillance and subpoenasLaura KellyReversed (5 August 2024)
14 July 2023Zimbabwe's Patriotic Act criminalizes journalists' contact with foreign governmentsZimbabwe (RSF 2026 rank: 124th of 180)Secrets and espionage lawsEmmerson MnangagwaSustained (14 July 2023)
16 June 2022Russia: entry bans, visa restrictions and bureau closures for foreign correspondentsRussia (RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180)Access bansVladimir PutinSustained (16 June 2022)
18 May 2022Russia: CBC/Radio-Canada bureau closed and journalists' visas cancelledRussia (RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180)Expulsion and visa denialVladimir PutinSustained (18 May 2022)
13 May 2022Ethiopia: Economist correspondent Tom Gardner expelledEthiopia (RSF 2026 rank: 148th of 180)Expulsion and visa denialAbiy AhmedSustained (13 May 2022)
4 March 2022Russia criminalizes 'fake' reporting on the military, up to 15 years in prisonRussia (RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180)Insult and defamation lawsVladimir PutinSustained
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)
6 November 2021FBI raids Project Veritas founder's home over Ashley Biden diary investigationUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Surveillance and subpoenasJoe BidenUnknown
19 July 2021Justice Department bars seizing reporters' phone and email recordsUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Surveillance and subpoenasJoe BidenReversed (25 April 2025)
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)
29 August 2020Belarus: accreditation withdrawn from 17 journalists working for foreign outletsBelarus (RSF 2026 rank: 165th of 180)Access bansAlexander LukashenkoSustained (29 August 2020)
23 July 2020Federal officers restrict press access to Portland protests; judge orders them to stopUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Access bansDonald TrumpReversed (23 July 2020)
5 July 2020Morocco: investigative journalist Omar Radi's phone is infected with Pegasus spyware and he is later detainedMorocco (RSF rank: not recorded)Surveillance and subpoenasSaadeddine OthmaniReversed (1 July 2024)
15 June 2020Philippines: Maria Ressa convicted of cyber libelPhilippines (RSF 2026 rank: 114th of 180)Lawsuits against the pressRodrigo DuterteOngoing (15 June 2020)
29 May 2020Minneapolis police projectile permanently blinds photojournalist Linda TiradoUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Detention and violenceJacob FreySustained (26 May 2022)
29 May 2020Minnesota State Patrol arrests CNN crew live on air in MinneapolisUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Detention and violenceTim WalzReversed (29 May 2020)
15 April 2020Australia's High Court invalidates warrant for raid on journalist Annika SmethurstAustralia (RSF 2026 rank: 33rd of 180)Surveillance and subpoenasScott MorrisonReversed (27 May 2020)
30 March 2020Hungary criminalizes false coronavirus information and grants Orban decree powersHungary (RSF 2026 rank: 74th of 180)Insult and defamation lawsViktor OrbanUnknown
18 March 2020China: press credentials and visas withheld from correspondents at three American newspapersChina (RSF 2026 rank: 178th of 180)Credential controlXi JinpingSustained (3 March 2021)
17 March 2020China expels American journalists from three major U.S. newspapersChina (RSF 2026 rank: 178th of 180)Expulsion and visa denialXi JinpingSustained
19 February 2020China: three Wall Street Journal correspondents expelled over an opinion headlineChina (RSF 2026 rank: 178th of 180)Access bansXi JinpingSustained (19 February 2020)
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