The War On News

How governments have limited journalists, 1900 to today.

Official labels

A government officially brands a news outlet or a journalist as a source of disinformation or "fake news", or requires it to register as an agent of another country. Such labels often carry reporting duties and restrictions, and can cost the outlet its audience and advertisers.

2 recorded incidents in 2 countries; the earliest in the record is dated December 20, 2023.

Incidents by country and year

Hungary (1)

DateIncidentHead of governmentOutcome
December 20, 2023Hungary: National Sovereignty Protection Act and Sovereignty Protection Office, December 2023Viktor OrbanReversed (June 30, 2026)

Russia (1)

DateIncidentHead of governmentOutcome
August 4, 2026Russia: law on asset freezes and service denials for exiled "foreign agents", August 2026Vladimir PutinSustained (August 4, 2026)

Compare countries for this tactic · Filter these incidents

Download these incidents

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