Tactic
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.
The earliest incident in the record using this tactic is dated 1 May 1926.
The ladder for funding and ownership pressure: where this tactic has led, stage by stage
The number of entries reflects the depth of this record, not the severity of a country's conduct.
Incidents by country and year
Argentina, RSF 2026 rank: 98th of 180
| Date | Incident | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 March 2024 | Milei's government shuts down Argentina's state news agency Telam | Silence | Javier Milei | Sustained |
Brazil, RSF 2026 rank: 52nd of 180
| Date | Incident | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 December 1968 | Brazil's military government decrees the Fifth Institutional Act and moves to control the press | Silence | Artur da Costa e Silva | Unknown |
Cambodia, RSF 2026 rank: 151st of 180
| Date | Incident | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 September 2017 | Cambodia's government forces the closure of The Cambodia Daily with a disputed multimillion-dollar tax bill | Silence | Hun Sen | Sustained (4 September 2017) |
Ecuador, RSF 2026 rank: 125th of 180
| Date | Incident | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 June 2013 | Ecuador's Organic Communication Law creates a regulator that issues hundreds of sanctions against journalists and outlets | Pressure | Rafael Correa | Reversed (20 February 2019) |
Egypt, RSF 2026 rank: 169th of 180
| Date | Incident | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 May 1960 | Egypt's Nasser government nationalizes every newspaper and magazine in the country | Silence | Gamal Abdel Nasser | Ongoing (1 January 1989) |
El Salvador, RSF 2026 rank: 143rd of 180
| Date | Incident | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2026 | El Salvador: freeze on assets of shareholders in El Faro's parent company, February to April 2026 | Pressure | Nayib Bukele | Sustained (8 May 2026) |
Georgia, RSF 2026 rank: 135th of 180
| Date | Incident | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 May 2024 | Georgia 'foreign influence' law for media, 2024 | Pressure | Irakli Kobakhidze | Sustained |
Hungary, RSF 2026 rank: 74th of 180
| Date | Incident | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 December 2010 | Hungary's parliament gives a government-appointed media council power to fine outlets for unbalanced coverage | Pressure | Viktor Orban | Sustained (1 January 2011) |
| 29 November 2018 | Hungary: formation of the KESMA pro-government media foundation | Silence | Viktor Orban | Sustained (29 November 2018) |
| 24 July 2020 | Hungary: editor fired and staff resign at Index.hu | Pressure | Viktor Orban | Sustained (24 July 2020) |
| 20 December 2023 | Hungary: National Sovereignty Protection Act and Sovereignty Protection Office, December 2023 | Pressure | Viktor Orban | Reversed (30 June 2026) |
Malaysia, RSF 2026 rank: 95th of 180
| Date | Incident | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 September 1998 | Malaysia pressures domestic media and monitors foreign correspondents after arresting former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim | Pressure | Mahathir Mohamad | Unknown |
Peru, RSF rank: not recorded
| Date | Incident | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 1997 | Peru strips television station owner Baruch Ivcher of his citizenship after critical reporting | Pressure | Alberto Fujimori | Sustained |
Poland, RSF 2026 rank: 27th of 180
| Date | Incident | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 December 2015 | Poland's new government gains power to replace public broadcaster leadership, and journalists are dismissed | Pressure | Beata Szydlo | Sustained (31 December 2019) |
| April 2021 | Poland: state oil company Orlen buys the Polska Press newspaper group | Silence | Mateusz Morawiecki | Sustained (1 April 2021) |
Russia, RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180
| Date | Incident | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 April 2001 | State-controlled Gazprom takes formal control of Russia's independent NTV television network | Silence | Vladimir Putin | Sustained (14 April 2001) |
| 4 August 2026 | Russia: asset freezes on exiled "foreign agents", Aug 2026 | Pressure | Vladimir Putin | Sustained (4 August 2026) |
Serbia, RSF 2026 rank: 104th of 180
| Date | Incident | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 October 1998 | Serbia's Public Information Act lets courts fine independent newspapers into financial danger | Punish | Slobodan Milosevic | Reversed (1 October 2000) |
Slovakia, RSF 2026 rank: 37th of 180
| Date | Incident | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 June 2024 | Slovakia's parliament dissolves public broadcaster RTVS, replaces it with STVR | Pressure | Robert Fico | Sustained (1 July 2024) |
Tanzania, RSF 2026 rank: 117th of 180
| Date | Incident | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 March 2018 | Tanzania requires bloggers and online publishers to register and pay an annual government fee | Pressure | John Magufuli | Unknown (12 April 2018) |
Türkiye, RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180
| Date | Incident | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 March 2016 | Türkiye: court installs trustees at Zaman newspaper | Silence | Recep Tayyip Erdoğan | Sustained (4 March 2016) |
| 21 March 2018 | Türkiye: Dogan Holding sells its media outlets to Demiroren | Silence | Recep Tayyip Erdoğan | Sustained (21 March 2018) |
United Kingdom, RSF 2026 rank: 18th of 180
| Date | Incident | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1926 | United Kingdom: Government requisitions newsprint and restricts rival newspapers during the 1926 General Strike | Pressure | Stanley Baldwin | Ongoing (10 May 1926) |