The United States

The focal chapter: 2025 to 2026, the record since 1917, and where each tactic in use now has led elsewhere

RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180. World Press Freedom Index of Reporters Without Borders (RSF); rank 1 is the freest.

This chapter sets out what the government of the United States and its officials have done to journalists in 2025 and 2026, the earlier record from 1917 to 2024, and, for each tactic in use now, where the same tactic has led in other countries.

The record is deepest for the United States. The number of entries reflects the depth of this record, not the severity of a country's conduct.

Now

Incidents dated 2025 and 2026, in date order.

January 1, 2025: United States (Florida): Halo Law buffer zone around first responders, January 2025

On January 1, 2025, the "Halo Law" took effect in Florida, a state in the south-eastern United States. It creates a 25-foot (7.6-metre) buffer zone around first responders, such as police officers, firefighters and paramedics, while they are performing their duties, and anyone who enters the zone "to 'harass, impede or threaten' first responders after receiving a warning" faces up to 60 days in prison and a fine of US$500. The law applies to journalists as well as the public. The governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, signed it in 2024.

Tactics: Access bans
Stage: Restrict
Head of government: Ron DeSantis
Outcome: Sustained (January 1, 2025). In effect from 2025-01-01; the sources cited report no court order blocking it (as of 2026-09-22).
Sources: 2

Full entry, with claims and sources

January 22, 2025: FCC chair reopens 'news distortion' complaints against CBS and NBC

Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr reopened complaints alleging CBS and NBC distorted the news, demanding CBS turn over the full tape and transcript of a 60 Minutes interview and later accusing NBC's parent Comcast of misleading coverage of an immigration case.

Tactics: Official labels, Funding and ownership pressure
Stage: Pressure
Head of government: Donald Trump
Outcome: Ongoing. The complaints against CBS and NBC remained open, with no formal licensing action announced in the source reviewed.
Sources: 1

Full entry, with claims and sources

January 31, 2025: United States (Louisiana): Federal court order blocking enforcement of the police buffer zone law, January 2025

On January 31, 2025, Judge John W. deGravelles of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana, a federal trial court, blocked enforcement of the state's 25-foot (7.6-metre) police buffer zone law with a preliminary injunction, an order that keeps the situation as it is while a case is decided. He wrote that "the distance required is likely to impede Plaintiffs' non-obstructive newsgathering" and that "the Act has a chilling effect on Plaintiffs' First Amendment rights." The plaintiffs included journalists and civil rights observers. Louisiana was reported to be appealing the order.

Tactics: Access bans
Stage: Restrict
Head of government: Jeff Landry
Outcome: Ongoing (January 31, 2025). Preliminary injunction granted 2025-01-31; Louisiana's appeal was reported pending as of mid-2026.
Sources: 2

Full entry, with claims and sources

February 6, 2025: Border czar Tom Homan says ICE media ride-alongs may end over leaks

White House border czar Tom Homan said the administration might stop letting journalists ride along on Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations after an Aurora, Colorado raid captured far fewer people than expected, which officials attributed to leaked details of the operation.

Tactics: Access bans
Stage: Restrict
Head of government: Donald Trump
Outcome: Unknown. Homan described ending ride-alongs as under consideration; no formal, dated order was documented in the source reviewed.
Sources: 1

Full entry, with claims and sources

February 11, 2025: United States: White House exclusion of the Associated Press from the Oval Office and Air Force One, February 2025

On February 11, 2025, the White House, the office of the president of the United States, began barring journalists from the Associated Press (AP), a United States news agency, from the Oval Office and Air Force One, the aircraft that carries the president. The exclusion followed AP's decision to keep using the name "Gulf of Mexico" after an executive order of the president, Donald Trump, renamed the body of water the "Gulf of America" for United States federal purposes. Trump told reporters, "We're going to keep them out until such time as they agree that it's the Gulf of America," according to NPR. AP sued on February 21, 2025; as of 2026-09-22, a partial stay by a federal appeals court leaves AP excluded from the Oval Office and Air Force One.

Tactics: Access bans
Stage: Restrict
Head of government: Donald Trump
Outcome: Ongoing (July 22, 2025). The D.C. Circuit's partial stay of 2025-06-06 keeps AP out of the Oval Office, Air Force One, Mar-a-Lago and the Cabinet Room and admits it to the East Room; the full court denied rehearing en banc on 2025-07-22. The appeal is pending.
Sources: 6

Full entry, with claims and sources

February 25, 2025: United States: White House takes over selection of the presidential press pool, February 2025

On February 25, 2025, the White House announced that it would decide which journalists join the press pool, the small rotating group of reporters who cover the president of the United States in spaces such as the Oval Office and Air Force One and share what they gather with other outlets. The White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA), the organization of reporters who cover the president, said that for more than a century "working journalists" and "not government officials" had "determined pool rotation procedures." As of 2026-09-22, the White House selects the pool, according to the Associated Press.

Tactics: Access bans, Credential control
Stage: Restrict
Head of government: Donald Trump
Outcome: Sustained (September 22, 2026). The White House selects the pool as of 2026-09-22, according to the Associated Press (s104).
Sources: 3

Full entry, with claims and sources

March 15, 2025: United States: U.S. Agency for Global Media action to shut down Voice of America operations, March 2025

Beginning on March 15, 2025, the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), the United States federal agency that oversees the government's international broadcasters, placed most of its staff on paid administrative leave and moved to shut down the operations of Voice of America (VOA), the United States government's international broadcaster. Kari Lake, a senior advisor at USAGM, carried out the action under an executive order of the president of the United States, Donald Trump, to reduce the federal bureaucracy. VOA journalists sued on March 21, 2025, and on March 28, 2025, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order, a short-term order made before a full hearing, that barred the agency from reducing its workforce.

Tactics: Funding and ownership pressure
Stage: Silence
Head of government: Donald Trump
Outcome: Ongoing (March 28, 2025). A temporary restraining order of 2025-03-28 barred USAGM from reducing its workforce; litigation continued into 2026.
Sources: 5

Full entry, with claims and sources

April 15, 2025: White House ends wire services' guaranteed seat in the press pool

The White House ended the decades-old practice of guaranteeing wire services Associated Press, Reuters and Bloomberg a daily seat in the small press pool that covers the president, making them compete instead for a single rotating print slot alongside other outlets.

Tactics: Access bans
Stage: Restrict
Head of government: Donald Trump
Outcome: Sustained. The dedicated wire-service pool seat was not restored; the outlets continued to compete for a rotating slot.
Sources: 1

Full entry, with claims and sources

April 22, 2025: 60 Minutes executive producer resigns, citing lost editorial independence

60 Minutes executive producer Bill Owens resigned, saying corporate owner Paramount had begun supervising the program's content in new ways while it faced President Trump's lawsuit over a Harris interview and pursued a sale requiring federal approval; the program publicly said on air that it had lost the independence it once had.

Tactics: Funding and ownership pressure, Lawsuits against the press
Stage: Pressure
Head of government: Donald Trump
Outcome: Sustained (April 22, 2025). Owens's resignation was not reversed; the program continued under Paramount's new oversight amid the pending settlement and merger.
Sources: 1

Full entry, with claims and sources

April 25, 2025: United States: Department of Justice rescission of rules limiting subpoenas of journalists, April 2025

On April 25, 2025, the Attorney General of the United States, Pam Bondi, head of the Department of Justice, the federal department that prosecutes federal crimes, rescinded rules adopted in 2021 and 2022 under her predecessor, Merrick Garland, that barred prosecutors from seeking reporters' records or testimony to identify the sources of leaks. Bondi's memo said leaks of sensitive information to the media undermine the department's ability "to uphold the rule of law, protect civil rights, and keep America safe." The department returned to a test that weighs law enforcement interests against press freedom, according to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, a United States non-profit that provides legal help to journalists.

Tactics: Surveillance and subpoenas
Stage: Pressure
Head of government: Donald Trump
Outcome: Sustained (April 25, 2025). In effect since 2025-04-25; the sources cited report no restoration of the earlier rules (as of 2026-09-22).
Sources: 1

Full entry, with claims and sources

May 1, 2025: United States: Executive Order 14290 directing an end to federal funding for NPR and PBS, May 2025

On May 1, 2025, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, signed Executive Order 14290, "Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Biased Media." It directs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private non-profit corporation created by the United States Congress in 1967 to distribute federal money to public radio and television, and federal agencies to stop funding NPR and PBS, the country's non-profit public radio and television networks. The order says public funding for news is "not only outdated and unnecessary but corrosive to the appearance of journalistic independence." NPR and PBS said the president cannot cut funding that Congress has appropriated to CPB.

Tactics: Funding and ownership pressure
Stage: Pressure
Head of government: Donald Trump
Outcome: Unknown. No court ruling on Executive Order 14290 and no final funding figure appears in the sources cited (as of 2026-09-22).
Sources: 3

Full entry, with claims and sources

June 9, 2025: Officer shoots Australian journalist with rubber bullet during Los Angeles immigration protests

A law enforcement officer shot Nine News Australia correspondent Lauren Tomasi with a rubber bullet while she was reporting live from a Los Angeles protest against federal immigration raids, prompting Australia's prime minister to call the incident unacceptable and raise it with the U.S. government.

Tactics: Detention and violence
Stage: Punish
Head of government: Karen Bass
Outcome: Unknown. No investigation or disciplinary outcome regarding the officer who fired at Tomasi was reported in the source reviewed.
Sources: 1

Full entry, with claims and sources

July 1, 2025: United States: Paramount settlement of Donald Trump's lawsuit over a 60 Minutes interview, July 2025

On July 1, 2025, Paramount, the parent company of the United States broadcaster CBS News, announced that it would settle for US$16 million a lawsuit brought by Donald Trump, the president of the United States, over how the CBS program 60 Minutes edited a 2024 interview with Kamala Harris, then vice-president. The money goes to Trump's future presidential library and the plaintiffs' fees and costs, and 60 Minutes will release transcripts of future interviews with presidential candidates, "subject to redactions as required for legal or national security concerns." Paramount "has maintained that the lawsuit was completely without merit," according to CBS News.

Tactics: Lawsuits against the press
Stage: Pressure
Head of government: Donald Trump
Outcome: Sustained (July 1, 2025). Settled on 2025-07-01: US$16 million to Trump's future presidential library and the plaintiffs' fees and costs; 60 Minutes to release transcripts of presidential-candidate interviews. The outcome enum has no value for a settlement; "sustained" records that the settlement terms stand.
Sources: 1

Full entry, with claims and sources

July 18, 2025: Congress cuts $1.1 billion in federal funding for public broadcasting

At President Trump's request, Congress passed a rescissions package clawing back roughly $1.1 billion already appropriated to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, eliminating federal funding for NPR, PBS and their member stations.

Tactics: Funding and ownership pressure
Stage: Pressure
Head of government: Donald Trump
Outcome: Sustained (July 24, 2025). The rescission became law on July 24, 2025 (Public Law 119-28), eliminating CPB's federal appropriation; no restoration of the funding had occurred in the sources reviewed.
Sources: 2

Full entry, with claims and sources

July 18, 2025: Trump sues Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch over Epstein birthday letter story

President Trump sued The Wall Street Journal, its owner Rupert Murdoch and two reporters for at least $10 billion, disputing the newspaper's report describing a bawdy letter he was said to have sent Jeffrey Epstein for a 2003 birthday album.

Tactics: Lawsuits against the press
Stage: Pressure
Head of government: Donald Trump
Outcome: Ongoing. Dow Jones moved to dismiss the suit in September 2025, arguing the reporting was true; the case remained in litigation.
Sources: 2

Full entry, with claims and sources

July 24, 2025: FCC approves Paramount-Skydance merger after CBS ombudsman and anti-DEI pledges

The Federal Communications Commission approved Paramount's sale to Skydance Media after Skydance agreed to install an ombudsman to review complaints of bias at CBS News for two years and pledged to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs, over the objection of the commission's sole Democratic member.

Tactics: Funding and ownership pressure
Stage: Pressure
Head of government: Donald Trump
Outcome: Sustained (July 24, 2025). The FCC approved the merger with the ombudsman and anti-DEI conditions in place; Commissioner Gomez's dissent did not change the outcome.
Sources: 1

Full entry, with claims and sources

September 15, 2025: Trump files, then refiles, $15 billion defamation suit against the New York Times

President Trump sued The New York Times and four of its journalists for $15 billion over articles and a book published before the 2024 election; a judge dismissed the sprawling original complaint for violating basic pleading rules, and Trump refiled a shorter version a month later.

Tactics: Lawsuits against the press
Stage: Pressure
Head of government: Donald Trump
Outcome: Ongoing (October 16, 2025). A judge dismissed the original complaint for violating pleading rules; Trump refiled a shortened, six-claim complaint in October 2025.
Sources: 2

Full entry, with claims and sources

September 17, 2025: United States: Federal Communications Commission chairman's remarks and the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, September 2025

On September 17, 2025, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the United States regulator of broadcasting, Brendan Carr, said broadcasters could "do this the easy way or the hard way" over remarks by the television host Jimmy Kimmel, and warned of "additional work for the FCC ahead." Within hours, the station owners Nexstar and Sinclair said they would pull Jimmy Kimmel Live! from their stations, and ABC, the network that airs it, did the same, according to NPR. ABC announced that the show would return on September 23, 2025, according to Al Jazeera.

Tactics: Funding and ownership pressure, Licensing and closure of outlets
Stage: Pressure
Head of government: Donald Trump
Outcome: Reversed (September 23, 2025). ABC announced the show's return for 2025-09-23 after about a week off the air, according to Al Jazeera (s112).
Sources: 2

Full entry, with claims and sources

September 19, 2025: United States: Department of Defense press credential rules requiring approval before release of information, September 2025

On September 19, 2025, the United States Department of Defense, the federal department that provides the country's military forces, issued new credential rules for reporters at the Pentagon, its headquarters building, under the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth. The rules require that information be approved for public release by an authorizing official "before it is released, even if it is unclassified," and require accredited reporters to pledge not to solicit or publish such information without approval or lose their badges. The Pentagon called the rules "an important step in preventing leaks that damage operational security and national security." A federal judge ruled against the rules in March and April 2026, and the department has appealed (as of 2026-09-22).

Tactics: Access bans, Credential control, Prior restraint
Stage: Restrict
Head of government: Donald Trump
Outcome: Ongoing (April 9, 2026). Judge Paul Friedman ruled against the credential-revocation provisions on 2026-03-20 and against the revised policy on 2026-04-09; the Department of Defense appealed.
Sources: 5

Full entry, with claims and sources

October 15, 2025: United States: News organizations turn in their Pentagon press credentials, October 2025

Beginning on October 15, 2025, reporters from at least 30 news organizations vacated the press workspace at the Pentagon, the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, rather than sign the department's new credential pledge, with a deadline of October 17 to remove their belongings. They included ABC News, NBC News, CBS News, Fox News, CNN, the Associated Press, Reuters, Bloomberg News, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, NPR and Politico. One America News Network said it would sign. As of 2026-09-22, most of these outlets cover the Pentagon from outside the building.

Tactics: Access bans, Credential control
Stage: Restrict
Head of government: Donald Trump
Outcome: Ongoing (April 9, 2026). Credentials were ordered restored for seven New York Times journalists on 2026-03-20; the ruling against the revised policy on 2026-04-09 is on appeal. Most other outlets remain outside the building.
Sources: 2

Full entry, with claims and sources

October 31, 2025: White House closes 'Upper Press' section of West Wing to reporters

The White House began requiring reporters to make appointments before entering the 'Upper Press' area of the West Wing, home to the press secretary's and senior press aides' offices, citing a need to protect sensitive material after accusing reporters of secretly recording conversations there.

Tactics: Access bans
Stage: Restrict
Head of government: Donald Trump
Outcome: Sustained. The restricted access to Upper Press remained in effect; the WHCA's objection did not lead to a reversal in the source reviewed.
Sources: 1

Full entry, with claims and sources

April 28, 2026: Appeals court orders FCC to respond to challenge over 'news distortion' policy

A bipartisan group of former Federal Communications Commission chairs, commissioners and the Radio Television Digital News Association petitioned a federal appeals court to force the FCC to act on a long-pending request to rescind its decades-old 'news distortion' policy after Chair Brendan Carr repeatedly invoked it against broadcasters; the court gave the FCC thirty days to respond.

Tactics: Funding and ownership pressure
Stage: Pressure
Head of government: Donald Trump
Outcome: Ongoing (April 28, 2026). A federal appeals court ordered the FCC to respond to the mandamus petition within thirty days; the underlying policy remained unresolved.
Sources: 1

Full entry, with claims and sources

July 10, 2026: Customs officers seize Grayzone editor's phones at Virginia airport over Iran reporting

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers stopped Grayzone editor Max Blumenthal at Washington Dulles Airport, questioned him about his reporting trips to Iran, and seized both of his phones without his consent; the phones were returned a week later after he sued.

Tactics: Surveillance and subpoenas
Stage: Punish
Head of government: Donald Trump
Outcome: Reversed (July 17, 2026). Customs returned Blumenthal's phones after he sued; litigation continued into discovery over possible data extraction.
Sources: 1

Full entry, with claims and sources

September 18, 2026: United States: White House hard-pass deactivations for CNN, MS NOW and Politico reporters, September 2026

On September 18, 2026, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, announced on Truth Social, a social media platform, and in the Oval Office that CNN, MS NOW and Politico would be banned from the White House, the president's office and residence in Washington, D.C. He described the outlets' coverage as "FICTION and LIES." On September 19, 2026, the outlets' reporters were denied entry at the White House gates after their hard passes, the standing credentials that let reporters enter the White House press area without applying each day, were deactivated. The outlets sued on September 21, 2026, and the case is pending as of 2026-09-22.

Tactics: Access bans, Credential control
Stage: Restrict
Head of government: Donald Trump
Outcome: Ongoing (September 21, 2026). Cable News Network, Inc. v. Trump (D.D.C. No. 1:26-cv-03287) was filed on 2026-09-21 and is pending; a hearing is scheduled for 2026-09-23.
Sources: 11

September 18, 2026: Trump announces CNN, MS NOW and Politico will be banned from the White House
September 19, 2026: Secret Service deactivates the three outlets' hard passes; reporters denied entry
September 19, 2026: WHCA statement on the White House's position on CNN, MS NOW and Politico
September 20, 2026: Other pool networks decline to fill CNN's vacated rotating pool slot
September 21, 2026: CNN, MS NOW and Politico file suit against Trump and the White House
September 23, 2026: Hearing scheduled in Cable News Network, Inc. v. Trump

Full entry, with claims and sources

How it got here

The earlier record, from 1917 to 2024, by decade.

The 1910s

Date	Incident	Tactic	Stage	Head of government	Outcome
1917	United States Postmaster General Burleson strips the Milwaukee Leader of its mailing rate	Shutdowns and blocking	Silence	Woodrow Wilson	Upheld by a court (March 7, 1921)
July 1917	United States postmaster bars the magazine The Masses from the mail under the Espionage Act	Secrets and espionage laws	Silence	Woodrow Wilson	Upheld by a court (November 1, 1917)

The 1920s

Date	Incident	Tactic	Stage	Head of government	Outcome
1927	United States Supreme Court strikes down a Minnesota law used to shut a newspaper	Prior restraint	Silence	Theodore Christianson	Reversed (June 1, 1931)

The 1940s

Date	Incident	Tactic	Stage	Head of government	Outcome
December 19, 1941	United States creates an Office of Censorship and a wartime code for the press	Prior restraint	Pressure	Franklin D. Roosevelt	Sustained (September 28, 1945)

The 1950s

Date	Incident	Tactic	Stage	Head of government	Outcome
November 1955	United States Senate panel subpoenas dozens of New York Times journalists over Communist ties	Surveillance and subpoenas	Punish	Dwight D. Eisenhower	Sustained (December 1, 1956)

The 1960s

Date	Incident	Tactic	Stage	Head of government	Outcome
1969	United States Supreme Court rules reporters have no privilege to refuse grand jury subpoenas	Surveillance and subpoenas	Punish	Richard Nixon	Upheld by a court (June 29, 1972)

The 1970s

Date	Incident	Tactic	Stage	Head of government	Outcome
June 15, 1971	United States government seeks an injunction to stop The New York Times publishing the Pentagon Papers	Prior restraint	Silence	Richard Nixon	Reversed (June 30, 1971)
August 16, 1971	Nixon White House compiles an enemies list naming journalists for official pressure	Surveillance and subpoenas	Pressure	Richard Nixon	Reversed (June 27, 1973)
September 9, 1971	United States: Nixon White House "enemies list" naming journalists, September 1971	Surveillance and subpoenas	Pressure	Richard Nixon	Unknown

The 1980s

Date	Incident	Tactic	Stage	Head of government	Outcome
October 25, 1983	United States military bars journalists from the invasion of Grenada	Access bans	Restrict	Ronald Reagan	Reversed (April 1, 1985)

The 1990s

Date	Incident	Tactic	Stage	Head of government	Outcome
January 17, 1991	United States military restricts reporters to escorted press pools during the Gulf War	Access bans	Restrict	George H. W. Bush	Sustained (February 28, 1991)

The 2000s

Date	Incident	Tactic	Stage	Head of government	Outcome
February 10, 2003	Pentagon sets ground rules for journalists embedded with United States forces in Iraq	Access bans	Restrict	George W. Bush	Sustained (April 14, 2003)
July 6, 2005	New York Times reporter Judith Miller jailed for refusing to name a confidential source in the Valerie Plame affair	Surveillance and subpoenas	Punish	George W. Bush	Upheld by a court (September 29, 2005)

The 2010s

Date	Incident	Tactic	Stage	Head of government	Outcome
July 5, 2010	United States charges Army analyst Chelsea Manning under the Espionage Act for leaking to WikiLeaks	Secrets and espionage laws	Punish	Barack Obama	Reversed (January 17, 2017)
January 25, 2013	United States prosecutes former CIA officer John Kiriakou under the Espionage Act for identifying a covert colleague to a journalist	Secrets and espionage laws	Punish	Barack Obama	Upheld by a court (February 3, 2015)
May 13, 2013	United States Justice Department secretly seizes two months of Associated Press phone records	Surveillance and subpoenas	Punish	Barack Obama	Sustained (July 12, 2013)
May 20, 2013	United States search warrant names Fox News reporter James Rosen a possible co-conspirator in a leak case	Surveillance and subpoenas	Punish	Barack Obama	Sustained (July 12, 2013)
October 10, 2013	United States: Espionage Act prosecutions of sources for leaks to the press, 2009 to 2013	Secrets and espionage laws	Punish	Barack Obama	Unknown
October 17, 2014	United States pursues New York Times reporter James Risen's testimony for years before dropping its demand for his source	Surveillance and subpoenas	Punish	Barack Obama	Reversed (October 17, 2014)
November 7, 2018	United States: White House suspension of CNN correspondent Jim Acosta's hard pass, November 2018	Credential control	Restrict	Donald Trump	Reversed (November 19, 2018)
November 7, 2018	White House revokes CNN correspondent Jim Acosta's press credential after a news conference exchange with President Trump	Credential control	Restrict	Donald Trump	Reversed (November 19, 2018)
May 23, 2019	United States indicts WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange under the Espionage Act	Secrets and espionage laws	Punish	Donald Trump	Reversed (June 25, 2024)

The 2020s, to 2024

Date	Incident	Tactic	Stage	Head of government	Outcome
May 29, 2020	Minnesota State Patrol arrests CNN crew live on air in Minneapolis	Detention and violence	Punish	Tim Walz	Reversed (May 29, 2020)
May 29, 2020	Minneapolis police projectile permanently blinds photojournalist Linda Tirado	Detention and violence	Punish	Jacob Frey	Sustained (May 26, 2022)
July 23, 2020	Federal officers restrict press access to Portland protests; judge orders them to stop	Access bans	Punish	Donald Trump	Reversed (July 23, 2020)
September 12, 2020	Political appointees alter CDC coronavirus guidance before public release	Prior restraint	Restrict	Donald Trump	Unknown
July 19, 2021	Justice Department bars seizing reporters' phone and email records	Surveillance and subpoenas	Punish	Joe Biden	Reversed (April 25, 2025)
November 6, 2021	FBI raids Project Veritas founder's home over Ashley Biden diary investigation	Surveillance and subpoenas	Punish	Joe Biden	Unknown
July 21, 2023	Federal court strikes down Arizona's law banning recording police within 8 feet	Access bans	Restrict	Doug Ducey	Reversed (July 21, 2023)
August 11, 2023	Police raid Marion County Record newsroom and publisher's home in Kansas	Surveillance and subpoenas	Punish	Laura Kelly	Reversed (August 5, 2024)
May 24, 2024	United States (Louisiana): 25-foot buffer zone law around police officers, May 2024	Access bans	Restrict	Jeff Landry	Ongoing (January 31, 2025)
December 16, 2024	Trump sues Des Moines Register and pollster Ann Selzer over final Iowa poll	Lawsuits against the press	Pressure	Donald Trump	Ongoing (July 10, 2026)

Tactics in use now and where they have led

For each tactic with a United States incident dated 2025 or later: the United States rows, the furthest stage the same tactic has reached elsewhere in the record, and the full ladder.

Access bans

Date	Incident	Stage	Outcome
January 1, 2025	United States (Florida): Halo Law buffer zone around first responders, January 2025	Restrict	Sustained (January 1, 2025)
January 31, 2025	United States (Louisiana): Federal court order blocking enforcement of the police buffer zone law, January 2025	Restrict	Ongoing (January 31, 2025)
February 6, 2025	Border czar Tom Homan says ICE media ride-alongs may end over leaks	Restrict	Unknown
February 11, 2025	United States: White House exclusion of the Associated Press from the Oval Office and Air Force One, February 2025	Restrict	Ongoing (July 22, 2025)
February 25, 2025	United States: White House takes over selection of the presidential press pool, February 2025	Restrict	Sustained (September 22, 2026)
April 15, 2025	White House ends wire services' guaranteed seat in the press pool	Restrict	Sustained
September 19, 2025	United States: Department of Defense press credential rules requiring approval before release of information, September 2025	Restrict	Ongoing (April 9, 2026)
October 15, 2025	United States: News organizations turn in their Pentagon press credentials, October 2025	Restrict	Ongoing (April 9, 2026)
October 31, 2025	White House closes 'Upper Press' section of West Wing to reporters	Restrict	Sustained
September 18, 2026	United States: White House hard-pass deactivations for CNN, MS NOW and Politico reporters, September 2026	Restrict	Ongoing (September 21, 2026)

Elsewhere in the record, this tactic has reached the stage Silence: Tanzania, 2025 (RSF 2026 rank: 117th of 180); South Africa, 1985 (RSF 2026 rank: 21st of 180).

The full ladder for access bans

Credential control

Date	Incident	Stage	Outcome
February 25, 2025	United States: White House takes over selection of the presidential press pool, February 2025	Restrict	Sustained (September 22, 2026)
September 19, 2025	United States: Department of Defense press credential rules requiring approval before release of information, September 2025	Restrict	Ongoing (April 9, 2026)
October 15, 2025	United States: News organizations turn in their Pentagon press credentials, October 2025	Restrict	Ongoing (April 9, 2026)
September 18, 2026	United States: White House hard-pass deactivations for CNN, MS NOW and Politico reporters, September 2026	Restrict	Ongoing (September 21, 2026)

Elsewhere in the record, this tactic has reached the stage Silence: Spain, 1938 (RSF 2026 rank: 29th of 180); Germany, 1933 (RSF 2026 rank: 14th of 180).

The full ladder for credential control

Licensing and closure of outlets

Date	Incident	Stage	Outcome
September 17, 2025	United States: Federal Communications Commission chairman's remarks and the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, September 2025	Pressure	Reversed (September 23, 2025)

Elsewhere in the record, this tactic has reached the stage Eliminate: Hong Kong, 2025 (RSF 2026 rank: 140th of 180).

The full ladder for licensing and closure of outlets

Prior restraint

Date	Incident	Stage	Outcome
September 19, 2025	United States: Department of Defense press credential rules requiring approval before release of information, September 2025	Restrict	Ongoing (April 9, 2026)

Elsewhere in the record, this tactic has reached the stage Eliminate: Argentina, 1976 (RSF 2026 rank: 98th of 180).

The full ladder for prior restraint

Surveillance and subpoenas

Date	Incident	Stage	Outcome
April 25, 2025	United States: Department of Justice rescission of rules limiting subpoenas of journalists, April 2025	Pressure	Sustained (April 25, 2025)
July 10, 2026	Customs officers seize Grayzone editor's phones at Virginia airport over Iran reporting	Punish	Reversed (July 17, 2026)

Elsewhere in the record, this tactic has reached the stage Punish: Bangladesh, 2025 (RSF 2026 rank: 152nd of 180); Australia, 2020 (RSF 2026 rank: 33rd of 180); Australia, 2019 (RSF 2026 rank: 33rd of 180); United Kingdom, 2013 (RSF 2026 rank: 18th of 180).

The full ladder for surveillance and subpoenas

Funding and ownership pressure

Date	Incident	Stage	Outcome
January 22, 2025	FCC chair reopens 'news distortion' complaints against CBS and NBC	Pressure	Ongoing
April 22, 2025	60 Minutes executive producer resigns, citing lost editorial independence	Pressure	Sustained (April 22, 2025)
May 1, 2025	United States: Executive Order 14290 directing an end to federal funding for NPR and PBS, May 2025	Pressure	Unknown
July 18, 2025	Congress cuts $1.1 billion in federal funding for public broadcasting	Pressure	Sustained (July 24, 2025)
July 24, 2025	FCC approves Paramount-Skydance merger after CBS ombudsman and anti-DEI pledges	Pressure	Sustained (July 24, 2025)
September 17, 2025	United States: Federal Communications Commission chairman's remarks and the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, September 2025	Pressure	Reversed (September 23, 2025)
April 28, 2026	Appeals court orders FCC to respond to challenge over 'news distortion' policy	Pressure	Ongoing (April 28, 2026)
March 15, 2025	United States: U.S. Agency for Global Media action to shut down Voice of America operations, March 2025	Silence	Ongoing (March 28, 2025)

Elsewhere in the record, this tactic has reached the stage Silence: Argentina, 2024 (RSF 2026 rank: 98th of 180); Cambodia, 2017 (RSF 2026 rank: 151st of 180); Russia, 2001 (RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180); Egypt, 1960 (RSF 2026 rank: 169th of 180).

The full ladder for funding and ownership pressure

Detention and violence

Date	Incident	Stage	Outcome
June 9, 2025	Officer shoots Australian journalist with rubber bullet during Los Angeles immigration protests	Punish	Unknown

Elsewhere in the record, this tactic has reached the stage Eliminate: Hong Kong, 2025 (RSF 2026 rank: 140th of 180); Guatemala, 2023 (RSF 2026 rank: 128th of 180); Saudi Arabia, 2018 (RSF 2026 rank: 176th of 180); Myanmar, 2018 (RSF 2026 rank: 166th of 180).

The full ladder for detention and violence

Lawsuits against the press

Date	Incident	Stage	Outcome
April 22, 2025	60 Minutes executive producer resigns, citing lost editorial independence	Pressure	Sustained (April 22, 2025)
July 1, 2025	United States: Paramount settlement of Donald Trump's lawsuit over a 60 Minutes interview, July 2025	Pressure	Sustained (July 1, 2025)
July 18, 2025	Trump sues Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch over Epstein birthday letter story	Pressure	Ongoing
September 15, 2025	Trump files, then refiles, $15 billion defamation suit against the New York Times	Pressure	Ongoing (October 16, 2025)

No incident outside the United States using this tactic is recorded yet.

The full ladder for lawsuits against the press

Official labels

Date	Incident	Stage	Outcome
January 22, 2025	FCC chair reopens 'news distortion' complaints against CBS and NBC	Pressure	Ongoing

Elsewhere in the record, this tactic has reached the stage Eliminate: Nicaragua, 2023 (RSF 2026 rank: 168th of 180).

The full ladder for official labels

The law

Case	Court	Filed	Decided	Status	Holding
Sherrill v. Knight	United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit		December 15, 1977	decided	The D.C. Circuit held that the protection the First Amendment gives to newsgathering requires that White House press access not be denied arbitrarily or for less than compelling reasons, and that due process requires "notice of the factual…
Cable News Network, Inc. v. Trump	U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia	November 13, 2018	November 16, 2018	dismissed	Judge Timothy J. Kelly granted CNN a temporary restraining order requiring the White House to reinstate Jim Acosta's hard pass, on due process grounds drawn from Sherrill v. Knight. The White House restored the pass and CNN dropped the sui…
Associated Press v. Budowich	U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia; U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit	February 21, 2025	June 6, 2025	on appeal	The district court (Judge Trevor N. McFadden, 2025-04-08) granted a preliminary injunction ordering AP's access restored and then stayed it pending appeal. A D.C. Circuit panel (Judges Pillard, Katsas and Rao, 2025-06-06) granted a partial…
Cable News Network, Inc. v. Trump	U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia	September 21, 2026		pending	Not yet decided. Status as of 2026-09-22: Pending.

Sources

The sources cited by the 2025 and 2026 incidents above, newest first. Each incident's own page lists its sources with the claims they support.

What is the White House pool? These days, it's a battleground between Trump and free press rightsAP (via MPR News), 2026-09-22. Source record
Judge sets hearing in CNN, MS NOW, Politico lawsuit over Trump banCentral Oregon Daily (AP), 2026-09-22. Source record
CNN, MS NOW, Politico sue Trump administration over White House ban archived copyAxios, 2026-09-21. Source record
Did Biden cut off 440 reporters' credentials? PolitiFact rates a viral claimPolitiFact, 2026-09-21. Source record
Major TV networks stand with CNN, decline to replace its White House pool crewAP (via ActionNewsNow), 2026-09-20. Source record
Other networks decline to fill CNN's White House pool slot archived copyCNN Business, 2026-09-20. Source record
Trump banning CNN, MS NOW, Politico from White House archived copyABC News, 2026-09-19. Source record
'A ban on the free press': White House bars journalists from three outlets archived copyAl Jazeera, 2026-09-19. Source record
Trump says CNN, MS NOW and Politico will be banned from the White House archived copyNPR, 2026-09-19. Source record
White House Turns Away CNN, MS NOW, Politico Reporters After Trump Announces Ban archived copyU.S. News & World Report, 2026-09-19. Source record
Trump claims he will ban CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House archived copyCNN, 2026-09-18. Source record
Statement on White House Position on CNN, MSNOW and PoliticoWhite House Correspondents' Association, 2026-09-18. Source record
Editor questioned by officials at Virginia airport; phone seized and searchedU.S. Press Freedom Tracker, 2026-07-10. Source record
Trump v. New York Times Company, 8:25-cv-02487 (M.D. Fla.)Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse, 2026-05-01. Source record
Court Gives FCC 30 Days To Answer Challenge Over News Distortion PolicyInside Radio, 2026-04-28. Source record
Federal judge finds Pentagon in violation of court order to restore reporters' accessPBS NewsHour, 2026-04-09. Source record
White House restricts reporter access to press secretary, staff's officesU.S. Press Freedom Tracker, 2025-10-31. Source record
Pentagon press restrictions: what outlets are doingAxios, 2025-10-14. Source record
Why is Jimmy Kimmel returning to ABC, what did his suspension cost Disney?Al Jazeera, 2025-09-23. Source record
Wall Street Journal Seeks to Dismiss Trump's Defamation Lawsuit Over Epstein Letter StoryVariety, 2025-09-23. Source record
Journalists forced to obtain approval to publish stories in new Pentagon restrictions archived copyEuronews, 2025-09-21. Source record
Defense Secretary Hegseth requires new 'pledge' for Pentagon reportersNPR, 2025-09-20. Source record
FCC's Brendan Carr and the Kimmel suspensionNPR, 2025-09-19. Source record
Trump files $15 billion defamation lawsuit against the New York TimesEuronews, 2025-09-16. Source record
FCC approves Paramount-Skydance mergerCBS News, 2025-07-24. Source record
Public Law 119-28, Rescissions Act of 2025 (H.R. 4)U.S. Government Publishing Office, 2025-07-24. Source record
Congress rolls back $9 billion in public media funding and foreign aidNPR, 2025-07-18. Source record
Trump files defamation suit over 'Wall Street Journal' story on his Epstein tiesNPR, 2025-07-17. Source record
Paramount, President Trump reach $16 million settlement over '60 Minutes' lawsuitCBS News, 2025-07-01. Source record
Australian reporter covering Los Angeles immigration protests hit by rubber bullet on live TVCBS News, 2025-06-09. Source record
Trump's attacks on press freedom escalate: NPR, PBS funding cuts explained archived copyACLU, 2025-05-02. Source record
Trump says he's ending federal funding for NPR and PBS. They say he can'tNPR, 2025-05-02. Source record
Brendan Carr targets news outlets as chair of the FCCU.S. Press Freedom Tracker, 2025-05-01. Source record
DOJ rescinds news media guidelines: analysis archived copyReporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, 2025-04-25. Source record
'60 Minutes' chief resigns, saying show's independence was compromisedNPR, 2025-04-22. Source record
Associated Press, Reuters rip Trump White House for cutting wire service slot in press poolFox News, 2025-04-16. Source record
Judge orders AP's Oval Office, Air Force One access restoredNPR, 2025-04-08. Source record
Widakuswara v. Kari Lake, temporary restraining orderU.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (via Just Security), 2025-03-28. Source record
Judge invalidates Trump administration's attempts to dismantle Voice of AmericaAmerican Federation of Government Employees, 2025-03-22. Source record
Voice of America journalists sue Trump administration, Kari Lake over shutdownNPR, 2025-03-21. Source record
Voice of America's full-time staff and contractors placed on leave following Trump directiveCBS News, 2025-03-15. Source record
USAGM complies with presidential executive order to reduce the federal bureaucracyU.S. Agency for Global Media, 2025-03-15. Source record
US judge refuses to immediately overturn Trump's AP White House banEuronews, 2025-02-25. Source record
WHCA Statement on White House Announcement on Press Pool archived copyWhite House Correspondents' Association, 2025-02-25. Source record
AP sues White House officials over Gulf of America access ban archived copyNPR, 2025-02-21. Source record
White House bans Associated Press from Oval Office, Air Force OneNews on Air (Prasar Bharati), 2025-02-16. Source record
White House blocks AP reporter from Oval Office event over 'Gulf of America' policyVoice of America, 2025-02-12. Source record
Border Czar Tom Homan: ICE Media 'Ride Alongs' May End Due To SafetyMediaite, 2025-02-06. Source record
Judge blocks enforcement of Louisiana's 25-foot buffer zone for policeLouisiana Illuminator, 2025-01-31. Source record
Judge blocks enforcement of Louisiana's 25-foot buffer zone for policeYahoo News / AP, 2025-01-31. Source record
Halo Law goes into effect in FloridaFire Law Blog, 2025-01-01. Source record
New buffer zone laws in Louisiana and Florida: their impact on journalists' First Amendment rightsPhelps Dunbar LLP. Source record
Associated Press v. BudowichWikipedia. Source record
2025 Pentagon press pass forfeiture archived copyWikipedia. Source record
Executive Order 14290Wikipedia. Source record
White House shakes up press poolYahoo News / wire. Source record

RSF rank: World Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders.