The War On News

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

Search, stage: pressure, national level, 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
CountryEgypt, RSF 2026 rank: 169th of 180KazakhstanRussia, RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180United Kingdom, RSF 2026 rank: 18th of 180United States, RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180
ContinentAfricaAsiaEuropeNorth America
TacticLawsuits against the press 5Funding and ownership pressure 3Official labels 1Prior restraint 1Shutdowns and blocking 1
StagePressure 9
OutcomeOngoing 9
LevelNational 9
Head of governmentAbdel Fattah el-SisiDonald TrumpKassym-Jomart TokayevStanley BaldwinVladimir Putin

9 incidents match this view.

TableCardsCSVJSONMarkdown
DateIncidentCountryTacticHead of governmentOutcome
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)
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)
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
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)
26 October 2018Russia: outlet fined $338,000 under the foreign agents lawRussia (RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180)Lawsuits against the pressVladimir PutinOngoing (26 October 2018)
October 2018Egypt: a license requirement leaves an independent news site unable to operate legally for yearsEgypt (RSF 2026 rank: 169th of 180)Prior restraintAbdel Fattah el-SisiOngoing (26 October 2020)
May 1926United Kingdom: Government requisitions newsprint and restricts rival newspapers during the 1926 General StrikeUnited Kingdom (RSF 2026 rank: 18th of 180)Funding and ownership pressureStanley BaldwinOngoing (10 May 1926)
Download this view

CSV, JSON or Markdown. CC BY 4.0; credit "The War On News, thewaronnews.com".

CSVJSONMarkdown