Funding and ownership pressure
A government uses money, or its power over owners, instead of acting against reporters directly. Examples are cutting the funds of public broadcasters, forcing the sale of an outlet, steering state advertising away from some publications, and using licence reviews or merger approvals to press an outlet's owners.
6 recorded incidents in 4 countries; the earliest in the record is dated December 20, 2023.
Incidents by country and year
United States (3)
| Date | Incident | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 15, 2025 | United States: U.S. Agency for Global Media action to shut down Voice of America operations, March 2025 | Donald Trump | Ongoing (March 28, 2025) |
| May 1, 2025 | United States: Executive Order 14290 directing an end to federal funding for NPR and PBS, May 2025 | Donald Trump | Unknown |
| September 17, 2025 | United States: Federal Communications Commission chairman's remarks and the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, September 2025 | Donald Trump | Reversed (September 23, 2025) |
El Salvador (1)
| Date | Incident | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2026 | El Salvador: freeze on assets of shareholders in El Faro's parent company, February to April 2026 | Nayib Bukele | Sustained (May 8, 2026) |
Hungary (1)
| Date | Incident | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 20, 2023 | Hungary: National Sovereignty Protection Act and Sovereignty Protection Office, December 2023 | Viktor Orban | Reversed (June 30, 2026) |
Russia (1)
| Date | Incident | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 4, 2026 | Russia: law on asset freezes and service denials for exiled "foreign agents", August 2026 | Vladimir Putin | Sustained (August 4, 2026) |