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, stage: silence

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 6Prior restraint 2Shutdowns and blocking 2Licensing and closure of outlets 1
StageSilence 6
OutcomeReversed 2Sustained 2Upheld by a court 2
LevelNational 5State or province 1
Head of governmentAndries Cornelis Dirk de GraeffBob MartinezHerbert Henry AsquithRichard NixonWoodrow Wilson

6 incidents match this view.

TableCardsCSVJSONMarkdown
DateIncidentCountryTacticHead of governmentOutcome
21 March 1990United States Supreme Court strikes down Florida law barring a reporter from discussing his own grand jury testimonyUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Secrets and espionage lawsBob MartinezReversed (21 March 1990)
15 June 1971United States government seeks an injunction to stop The New York Times publishing the Pentagon PapersUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Prior restraintRichard NixonReversed (30 June 1971)
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)
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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