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, national level, outcome sustained

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 180Viet NamZimbabwe, RSF 2026 rank: 124th of 180
ContinentAfricaAsiaEuropeNorth America
TacticSecrets and espionage laws 6Prior restraint 2Insult and defamation laws 1Surveillance and subpoenas 1Licensing and closure of outlets 1
StagePressure 1Punish 2Silence 2Eliminate 1
OutcomeSustained 6
LevelNational 6
Head of governmentAndries Cornelis Dirk de GraeffBarack ObamaEmmerson MnangagwaFranklin D. RooseveltHerbert Henry AsquithNguyen Xuan Phuc

6 incidents match this view.

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DateIncidentCountryTacticHead of governmentOutcome
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)
14 December 2021Vietnam: journalist Pham Doan Trang is sentenced to nine years for anti-state "propaganda"Viet Nam (RSF rank: not recorded)Secrets and espionage lawsNguyen Xuan PhucSustained (14 December 2021)
20 May 2013United States search warrant names Fox News reporter James Rosen a possible co-conspirator in a leak caseUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Surveillance and subpoenasBarack ObamaSustained (12 July 2013)
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)
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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