{ "title": "The United States", "country": "US", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "counts_caveat": "The number of entries reflects the depth of this record, not the severity of a country's conduct.", "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/united-states", "country_url": "https://thewaronnews.com/countries/us", "now": { "from": "2025-01-01", "incidents": [ { "slug": "2025-florida-halo-law-takes-effect", "title": "United States (Florida): Halo Law buffer zone around first responders, January 2025", "occurred_on": "2025-01-01", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "restrict", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "ron-desantis", "leader_name": "Ron DeSantis", "what_was_done": "On January 1, 2025, the \"Halo Law\" took effect in Florida, a state in the south-eastern United States.", "outcome": "sustained", "outcome_on": "2025-01-01", "outcome_note": "In effect from 2025-01-01; the sources cited report no court order blocking it (as of 2026-09-22).", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 2, "tactic_primary": "access_ban", "tactics": [ "access_ban" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-florida-halo-law-takes-effect", "summary": "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.", "events": [] }, { "slug": "2025-fcc-carr-news-distortion-complaints-nbc-cbs", "title": "FCC chair reopens 'news distortion' complaints against CBS and NBC", "occurred_on": "2025-01-22", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "pressure", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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.", "outcome": "ongoing", "outcome_on": null, "outcome_note": "The complaints against CBS and NBC remained open, with no formal licensing action announced in the source reviewed.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 1, "tactic_primary": "funding_and_ownership_pressure", "tactics": [ "disinformation_labeling", "funding_and_ownership_pressure" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-fcc-carr-news-distortion-complaints-nbc-cbs", "summary": "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.", "events": [] }, { "slug": "2025-federal-judge-blocks-louisiana-buffer-law", "title": "United States (Louisiana): Federal court order blocking enforcement of the police buffer zone law, January 2025", "occurred_on": "2025-01-31", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "restrict", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "jeff-landry", "leader_name": "Jeff Landry", "what_was_done": "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 whi…", "outcome": "ongoing", "outcome_on": "2025-01-31", "outcome_note": "Preliminary injunction granted 2025-01-31; Louisiana's appeal was reported pending as of mid-2026.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 2, "tactic_primary": "access_ban", "tactics": [ "access_ban" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-federal-judge-blocks-louisiana-buffer-law", "summary": "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.", "events": [] }, { "slug": "2025-tom-homan-signals-end-to-ice-media-ride-alongs", "title": "Border czar Tom Homan says ICE media ride-alongs may end over leaks", "occurred_on": "2025-02-06", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "restrict", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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.", "outcome": "unknown", "outcome_on": null, "outcome_note": "Homan described ending ride-alongs as under consideration; no formal, dated order was documented in the source reviewed.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 1, "tactic_primary": "access_ban", "tactics": [ "access_ban" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-tom-homan-signals-end-to-ice-media-ride-alongs", "summary": "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.", "events": [] }, { "slug": "2025-white-house-bars-ap-gulf-of-america", "title": "United States: White House exclusion of the Associated Press from the Oval Office and Air Force One, February 2025", "occurred_on": "2025-02-11", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "restrict", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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.", "outcome": "ongoing", "outcome_on": "2025-07-22", "outcome_note": "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.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 6, "tactic_primary": "access_ban", "tactics": [ "access_ban" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-white-house-bars-ap-gulf-of-america", "summary": "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.", "events": [] }, { "slug": "2025-whca-loses-control-of-press-pool", "title": "United States: White House takes over selection of the presidential press pool, February 2025", "occurred_on": "2025-02-25", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "restrict", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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.", "outcome": "sustained", "outcome_on": "2026-09-22", "outcome_note": "The White House selects the pool as of 2026-09-22, according to the Associated Press (s104).", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 3, "tactic_primary": "access_ban", "tactics": [ "access_ban", "credential_control" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-whca-loses-control-of-press-pool", "summary": "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.", "events": [] }, { "slug": "2025-usagm-moves-to-shut-down-voice-of-america", "title": "United States: U.S. Agency for Global Media action to shut down Voice of America operations, March 2025", "occurred_on": "2025-03-15", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "silence", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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…", "outcome": "ongoing", "outcome_on": "2025-03-28", "outcome_note": "A temporary restraining order of 2025-03-28 barred USAGM from reducing its workforce; litigation continued into 2026.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 5, "tactic_primary": "funding_and_ownership_pressure", "tactics": [ "funding_and_ownership_pressure" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-usagm-moves-to-shut-down-voice-of-america", "summary": "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.", "events": [] }, { "slug": "2025-white-house-cuts-wire-service-pool-slot", "title": "White House ends wire services' guaranteed seat in the press pool", "occurred_on": "2025-04-15", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "restrict", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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.", "outcome": "sustained", "outcome_on": null, "outcome_note": "The dedicated wire-service pool seat was not restored; the outlets continued to compete for a rotating slot.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 1, "tactic_primary": "access_ban", "tactics": [ "access_ban" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-white-house-cuts-wire-service-pool-slot", "summary": "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.", "events": [] }, { "slug": "2025-60-minutes-producer-owens-resigns-loss-of-independence", "title": "60 Minutes executive producer resigns, citing lost editorial independence", "occurred_on": "2025-04-22", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "pressure", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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 lo…", "outcome": "sustained", "outcome_on": "2025-04-22", "outcome_note": "Owens's resignation was not reversed; the program continued under Paramount's new oversight amid the pending settlement and merger.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 1, "tactic_primary": "funding_and_ownership_pressure", "tactics": [ "funding_and_ownership_pressure", "lawsuits_against_press" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-60-minutes-producer-owens-resigns-loss-of-independence", "summary": "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.", "events": [] }, { "slug": "2025-doj-rescinds-media-subpoena-guidelines", "title": "United States: Department of Justice rescission of rules limiting subpoenas of journalists, April 2025", "occurred_on": "2025-04-25", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "pressure", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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…", "outcome": "sustained", "outcome_on": "2025-04-25", "outcome_note": "In effect since 2025-04-25; the sources cited report no restoration of the earlier rules (as of 2026-09-22).", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 1, "tactic_primary": "surveillance_and_subpoenas", "tactics": [ "surveillance_and_subpoenas" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-doj-rescinds-media-subpoena-guidelines", "summary": "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.", "events": [] }, { "slug": "2025-trump-order-ends-cpb-funding-npr-pbs", "title": "United States: Executive Order 14290 directing an end to federal funding for NPR and PBS, May 2025", "occurred_on": "2025-05-01", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "pressure", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "On May 1, 2025, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, signed Executive Order 14290, \"Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Biased Media.\"", "outcome": "unknown", "outcome_on": null, "outcome_note": "No court ruling on Executive Order 14290 and no final funding figure appears in the sources cited (as of 2026-09-22).", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 3, "tactic_primary": "funding_and_ownership_pressure", "tactics": [ "funding_and_ownership_pressure" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-trump-order-ends-cpb-funding-npr-pbs", "summary": "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.", "events": [] }, { "slug": "2025-australian-journalist-shot-rubber-bullet-los-angeles", "title": "Officer shoots Australian journalist with rubber bullet during Los Angeles immigration protests", "occurred_on": "2025-06-09", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "punish", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "karen-bass", "leader_name": "Karen Bass", "what_was_done": "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.", "outcome": "unknown", "outcome_on": null, "outcome_note": "No investigation or disciplinary outcome regarding the officer who fired at Tomasi was reported in the source reviewed.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 1, "tactic_primary": "detention_and_violence", "tactics": [ "detention_and_violence" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-australian-journalist-shot-rubber-bullet-los-angeles", "summary": "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.", "events": [] }, { "slug": "2025-paramount-cbs-settle-60-minutes-suit", "title": "United States: Paramount settlement of Donald Trump's lawsuit over a 60 Minutes interview, July 2025", "occurred_on": "2025-07-01", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "pressure", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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…", "outcome": "sustained", "outcome_on": "2025-07-01", "outcome_note": "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.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 1, "tactic_primary": "lawsuits_against_press", "tactics": [ "lawsuits_against_press" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-paramount-cbs-settle-60-minutes-suit", "summary": "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.", "events": [] }, { "slug": "2025-congress-rescinds-cpb-funding", "title": "Congress cuts $1.1 billion in federal funding for public broadcasting", "occurred_on": "2025-07-18", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "pressure", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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.", "outcome": "sustained", "outcome_on": "2025-07-24", "outcome_note": "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.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 2, "tactic_primary": "funding_and_ownership_pressure", "tactics": [ "funding_and_ownership_pressure" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-congress-rescinds-cpb-funding", "summary": "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.", "events": [] }, { "slug": "2025-trump-sues-wall-street-journal-epstein-letter", "title": "Trump sues Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch over Epstein birthday letter story", "occurred_on": "2025-07-18", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "pressure", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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.", "outcome": "ongoing", "outcome_on": null, "outcome_note": "Dow Jones moved to dismiss the suit in September 2025, arguing the reporting was true; the case remained in litigation.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 2, "tactic_primary": "lawsuits_against_press", "tactics": [ "lawsuits_against_press" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-trump-sues-wall-street-journal-epstein-letter", "summary": "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.", "events": [] }, { "slug": "2025-fcc-approves-paramount-skydance-with-ombudsman-condition", "title": "FCC approves Paramount-Skydance merger after CBS ombudsman and anti-DEI pledges", "occurred_on": "2025-07-24", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "pressure", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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…", "outcome": "sustained", "outcome_on": "2025-07-24", "outcome_note": "The FCC approved the merger with the ombudsman and anti-DEI conditions in place; Commissioner Gomez's dissent did not change the outcome.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 1, "tactic_primary": "funding_and_ownership_pressure", "tactics": [ "funding_and_ownership_pressure" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-fcc-approves-paramount-skydance-with-ombudsman-condition", "summary": "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.", "events": [] }, { "slug": "2025-trump-sues-new-york-times-15-billion", "title": "Trump files, then refiles, $15 billion defamation suit against the New York Times", "occurred_on": "2025-09-15", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "pressure", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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.", "outcome": "ongoing", "outcome_on": "2025-10-16", "outcome_note": "A judge dismissed the original complaint for violating pleading rules; Trump refiled a shortened, six-claim complaint in October 2025.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 2, "tactic_primary": "lawsuits_against_press", "tactics": [ "lawsuits_against_press" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-trump-sues-new-york-times-15-billion", "summary": "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.", "events": [] }, { "slug": "2025-fcc-pressure-precedes-kimmel-suspension", "title": "United States: Federal Communications Commission chairman's remarks and the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, September 2025", "occurred_on": "2025-09-17", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "pressure", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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…", "outcome": "reversed", "outcome_on": "2025-09-23", "outcome_note": "ABC announced the show's return for 2025-09-23 after about a week off the air, according to Al Jazeera (s112).", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 2, "tactic_primary": "funding_and_ownership_pressure", "tactics": [ "funding_and_ownership_pressure", "outlet_licensing" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-fcc-pressure-precedes-kimmel-suspension", "summary": "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.", "events": [] }, { "slug": "2025-pentagon-issues-new-press-credentialing-rules", "title": "United States: Department of Defense press credential rules requiring approval before release of information, September 2025", "occurred_on": "2025-09-19", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "restrict", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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.", "outcome": "ongoing", "outcome_on": "2026-04-09", "outcome_note": "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.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 5, "tactic_primary": "credential_control", "tactics": [ "access_ban", "credential_control", "prior_restraint" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-pentagon-issues-new-press-credentialing-rules", "summary": "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).", "events": [] }, { "slug": "2025-pentagon-press-corps-forfeits-badges", "title": "United States: News organizations turn in their Pentagon press credentials, October 2025", "occurred_on": "2025-10-15", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "restrict", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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.", "outcome": "ongoing", "outcome_on": "2026-04-09", "outcome_note": "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.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 2, "tactic_primary": "credential_control", "tactics": [ "access_ban", "credential_control" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-pentagon-press-corps-forfeits-badges", "summary": "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.", "events": [] }, { "slug": "2025-white-house-restricts-access-to-upper-press-office", "title": "White House closes 'Upper Press' section of West Wing to reporters", "occurred_on": "2025-10-31", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "restrict", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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.", "outcome": "sustained", "outcome_on": null, "outcome_note": "The restricted access to Upper Press remained in effect; the WHCA's objection did not lead to a reversal in the source reviewed.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 1, "tactic_primary": "access_ban", "tactics": [ "access_ban" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-white-house-restricts-access-to-upper-press-office", "summary": "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.", "events": [] }, { "slug": "2026-court-orders-fcc-to-answer-news-distortion-challenge", "title": "Appeals court orders FCC to respond to challenge over 'news distortion' policy", "occurred_on": "2026-04-28", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "pressure", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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 re…", "outcome": "ongoing", "outcome_on": "2026-04-28", "outcome_note": "A federal appeals court ordered the FCC to respond to the mandamus petition within thirty days; the underlying policy remained unresolved.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 1, "tactic_primary": "funding_and_ownership_pressure", "tactics": [ "funding_and_ownership_pressure" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2026-court-orders-fcc-to-answer-news-distortion-challenge", "summary": "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.", "events": [] }, { "slug": "2026-cbp-seizes-grayzone-editor-phones-airport", "title": "Customs officers seize Grayzone editor's phones at Virginia airport over Iran reporting", "occurred_on": "2026-07-10", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "punish", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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.", "outcome": "reversed", "outcome_on": "2026-07-17", "outcome_note": "Customs returned Blumenthal's phones after he sued; litigation continued into discovery over possible data extraction.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 1, "tactic_primary": "surveillance_and_subpoenas", "tactics": [ "surveillance_and_subpoenas" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2026-cbp-seizes-grayzone-editor-phones-airport", "summary": "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.", "events": [] }, { "slug": "2026-white-house-bans-cnn-msnow-politico", "title": "United States: White House hard-pass deactivations for CNN, MS NOW and Politico reporters, September 2026", "occurred_on": "2026-09-18", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "restrict", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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'…", "outcome": "ongoing", "outcome_on": "2026-09-21", "outcome_note": "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.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 11, "tactic_primary": "access_ban", "tactics": [ "access_ban", "credential_control" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2026-white-house-bans-cnn-msnow-politico", "summary": "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.", "events": [ { "occurred_on": "2026-09-18", "kind": "announcement", "label": "Trump announces CNN, MS NOW and Politico will be banned from the White House", "case": null }, { "occurred_on": "2026-09-19", "kind": "action", "label": "Secret Service deactivates the three outlets' hard passes; reporters denied entry", "case": null }, { "occurred_on": "2026-09-19", "kind": "statement", "label": "WHCA statement on the White House's position on CNN, MS NOW and Politico", "case": null }, { "occurred_on": "2026-09-20", "kind": "action", "label": "Other pool networks decline to fill CNN's vacated rotating pool slot", "case": null }, { "occurred_on": "2026-09-21", "kind": "filing", "label": "CNN, MS NOW and Politico file suit against Trump and the White House", "case": null }, { "occurred_on": "2026-09-23", "kind": "hearing", "label": "Hearing scheduled in Cable News Network, Inc. v. Trump", "case": null } ] } ] }, "how_it_got_here": [ { "decade": "1910s", "incidents": [ { "slug": "1917-us-burleson-mail-ban-milwaukee-leader", "title": "United States Postmaster General Burleson strips the Milwaukee Leader of its mailing rate", "occurred_on": "1917-01-01", "occurred_on_precision": "year", "stage": "silence", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "woodrow-wilson", "leader_name": "Woodrow Wilson", "what_was_done": "Postmaster General Albert Burleson used the wartime Espionage Act to strip the Milwaukee Leader, a socialist daily, of its low-cost second-class mailing rate, cutting off its main channel to readers.", "outcome": "upheld", "outcome_on": "1921-03-07", "outcome_note": "The Supreme Court upheld the revocation of the Leader's mailing rate 7 to 2 in United States ex rel. Milwaukee Social Democratic Publishing Co. v. Burleson.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 2, "tactic_primary": "shutdowns_and_blocking", "tactics": [ "secrets_and_espionage_laws", "shutdowns_and_blocking" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1917-us-burleson-mail-ban-milwaukee-leader" }, { "slug": "1917-us-espionage-act-bars-the-masses-from-the-mail", "title": "United States postmaster bars the magazine The Masses from the mail under the Espionage Act", "occurred_on": "1917-07-01", "occurred_on_precision": "month", "stage": "silence", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "woodrow-wilson", "leader_name": "Woodrow Wilson", "what_was_done": "Weeks after the United States entered the First World War, the New York postmaster used the new Espionage Act, a law against interfering with military recruitment, to bar the socialist magazine The Masses from the mail.", "outcome": "upheld", "outcome_on": "1917-11-01", "outcome_note": "The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reversed Judge Hand's order later in 1917, and the Post Office's mail ban on The Masses stood.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 2, "tactic_primary": "secrets_and_espionage_laws", "tactics": [ "secrets_and_espionage_laws", "shutdowns_and_blocking" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1917-us-espionage-act-bars-the-masses-from-the-mail" } ] }, { "decade": "1920s", "incidents": [ { "slug": "1931-us-near-v-minnesota-gag-law", "title": "United States Supreme Court strikes down a Minnesota law used to shut a newspaper", "occurred_on": "1927-01-01", "occurred_on_precision": "year", "stage": "silence", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "theodore-christianson", "leader_name": "Theodore Christianson", "what_was_done": "A Hennepin County attorney used Minnesota's 1925 Public Nuisance Law to shut down The Saturday Press, a Minneapolis paper accusing officials of corruption.", "outcome": "reversed", "outcome_on": "1931-06-01", "outcome_note": "The Supreme Court of the United States struck down the Minnesota law 5 to 4 as a restraint on publication in advance that the Constitution did not allow.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 1, "tactic_primary": "prior_restraint", "tactics": [ "prior_restraint" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1931-us-near-v-minnesota-gag-law" } ] }, { "decade": "1940s", "incidents": [ { "slug": "1941-us-office-of-censorship-wartime-press-code", "title": "United States creates an Office of Censorship and a wartime code for the press", "occurred_on": "1941-12-19", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "pressure", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "franklin-d-roosevelt", "leader_name": "Franklin D. Roosevelt", "what_was_done": "Twelve days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, President Franklin Roosevelt created the Office of Censorship.", "outcome": "sustained", "outcome_on": "1945-09-28", "outcome_note": "The Office of Censorship operated on the press's voluntary compliance through the war and was abolished by executive order after Japan's surrender.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 2, "tactic_primary": "prior_restraint", "tactics": [ "prior_restraint", "secrets_and_espionage_laws" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1941-us-office-of-censorship-wartime-press-code" } ] }, { "decade": "1950s", "incidents": [ { "slug": "1955-us-eastland-subcommittee-subpoenas-new-york-times", "title": "United States Senate panel subpoenas dozens of New York Times journalists over Communist ties", "occurred_on": "1955-11-01", "occurred_on_precision": "month", "stage": "punish", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "dwight-d-eisenhower", "leader_name": "Dwight D. Eisenhower", "what_was_done": "The Senate Internal Security Subcommittee, led by Senator James Eastland, issued 35 subpoenas over past or present Communist Party ties in the press, and 26 of them went to New York Times staff.", "outcome": "sustained", "outcome_on": "1956-12-01", "outcome_note": "The dismissals and resignations at The New York Times and other papers were not reversed; the paper said at year's end it had made no further dismissals beyond the initial cases.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 1, "tactic_primary": "surveillance_and_subpoenas", "tactics": [ "surveillance_and_subpoenas" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1955-us-eastland-subcommittee-subpoenas-new-york-times" } ] }, { "decade": "1960s", "incidents": [ { "slug": "1972-us-branzburg-v-hayes-reporters-privilege", "title": "United States Supreme Court rules reporters have no privilege to refuse grand jury subpoenas", "occurred_on": "1969-01-01", "occurred_on_precision": "year", "stage": "punish", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "richard-nixon", "leader_name": "Richard Nixon", "what_was_done": "Louisville Courier-Journal reporter Paul Branzburg was subpoenaed by a Kentucky grand jury, a body that investigates possible crimes, after he wrote about drug users he had observed.", "outcome": "upheld", "outcome_on": "1972-06-29", "outcome_note": "The Supreme Court upheld the grand jury's power to compel Branzburg's testimony 5 to 4, finding no First Amendment reporter's privilege.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 1, "tactic_primary": "surveillance_and_subpoenas", "tactics": [ "surveillance_and_subpoenas" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1972-us-branzburg-v-hayes-reporters-privilege" } ] }, { "decade": "1970s", "incidents": [ { "slug": "1971-us-pentagon-papers-injunction", "title": "United States government seeks an injunction to stop The New York Times publishing the Pentagon Papers", "occurred_on": "1971-06-15", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "silence", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "richard-nixon", "leader_name": "Richard Nixon", "what_was_done": "After The New York Times began publishing a leaked secret history of the Vietnam War, the Nixon administration obtained a court order stopping further publication, the first such order against a major American newspaper.", "outcome": "reversed", "outcome_on": "1971-06-30", "outcome_note": "The Supreme Court ruled 6 to 3 that the government's request for an injunction against publication failed to overcome the heavy presumption against prior restraint.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 2, "tactic_primary": "prior_restraint", "tactics": [ "prior_restraint", "secrets_and_espionage_laws" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1971-us-pentagon-papers-injunction" }, { "slug": "1971-us-nixon-enemies-list", "title": "Nixon White House compiles an enemies list naming journalists for official pressure", "occurred_on": "1971-08-16", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "pressure", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "richard-nixon", "leader_name": "Richard Nixon", "what_was_done": "White House Counsel John Dean wrote a memo on how to use federal agencies against President Nixon's political opponents, and the resulting list of more than 200 names included journalists such as CBS News correspondent Daniel Schorr.", "outcome": "reversed", "outcome_on": "1973-06-27", "outcome_note": "The list became public during John Dean's Senate Watergate Committee testimony, discrediting the effort as Nixon's presidency unraveled over the wider Watergate scandal.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 2, "tactic_primary": "surveillance_and_subpoenas", "tactics": [ "funding_and_ownership_pressure", "surveillance_and_subpoenas" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1971-us-nixon-enemies-list" }, { "slug": "1971-nixon-white-house-compiles-enemies-list", "title": "United States: Nixon White House \"enemies list\" naming journalists, September 1971", "occurred_on": "1971-09-09", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "pressure", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "richard-nixon", "leader_name": "Richard Nixon", "what_was_done": "On September 9, 1971, the office of Charles Colson, special counsel to the president of the United States, Richard Nixon, sent White House Counsel John Dean, the president's lawyer on official matters, a memorandum naming 20 people as an initial \"enemies list.\"", "outcome": "unknown", "outcome_on": null, "outcome_note": "No ruling or formal rescission applies; the lists became public during the Watergate investigations of 1973 to 1974.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 2, "tactic_primary": "surveillance_and_subpoenas", "tactics": [ "surveillance_and_subpoenas" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1971-nixon-white-house-compiles-enemies-list" } ] }, { "decade": "1980s", "incidents": [ { "slug": "1983-us-grenada-press-exclusion", "title": "United States military bars journalists from the invasion of Grenada", "occurred_on": "1983-10-25", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "restrict", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "ronald-reagan", "leader_name": "Ronald Reagan", "what_was_done": "When United States forces invaded the Caribbean island of Grenada on October 25, 1983, military commanders kept all journalists away from the island for the first two days of fighting, citing operational reasons.", "outcome": "reversed", "outcome_on": "1985-04-01", "outcome_note": "The Pentagon created a standing national media pool in 1985 on the Sidle Commission's recommendation, formally reversing the total exclusion used in Grenada.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 2, "tactic_primary": "access_ban", "tactics": [ "access_ban" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1983-us-grenada-press-exclusion" } ] }, { "decade": "1990s", "incidents": [ { "slug": "1991-gulf-war-us-military-press-pools", "title": "United States military restricts reporters to escorted press pools during the Gulf War", "occurred_on": "1991-01-17", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "restrict", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "george-hw-bush", "leader_name": "George H. W. Bush", "what_was_done": "The U.S. military required reporters covering the 1991 Gulf War to work in escorted \"pools\" rather than move freely, reviewed pool dispatches before release, and reporters who left the pools were captured or detained.", "outcome": "sustained", "outcome_on": "1991-02-28", "outcome_note": "The pool system stayed in place through the war's end on February 28, 1991; the legal challenge in Nation Magazine v. Department of Defense was later dismissed as moot.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 2, "tactic_primary": "access_ban", "tactics": [ "access_ban", "detention_and_violence" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1991-gulf-war-us-military-press-pools" } ] }, { "decade": "2000s", "incidents": [ { "slug": "2003-us-pentagon-embedding-rules-iraq", "title": "Pentagon sets ground rules for journalists embedded with United States forces in Iraq", "occurred_on": "2003-02-10", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "restrict", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "george-w-bush", "leader_name": "George W. Bush", "what_was_done": "Ahead of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the Pentagon assigned about 600 journalists to travel with United States military units under written ground rules restricting what they could report about troop numbers, operations and casualties.", "outcome": "sustained", "outcome_on": "2003-04-14", "outcome_note": "The embedding program ran through the invasion and became the Pentagon's standard model for media access in later conflicts.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 1, "tactic_primary": "access_ban", "tactics": [ "access_ban", "prior_restraint" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2003-us-pentagon-embedding-rules-iraq" }, { "slug": "2005-us-judith-miller-jailed-plame-source", "title": "New York Times reporter Judith Miller jailed for refusing to name a confidential source in the Valerie Plame affair", "occurred_on": "2005-07-06", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "punish", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "george-w-bush", "leader_name": "George W. Bush", "what_was_done": "A federal judge jailed New York Times reporter Judith Miller for contempt after she refused to tell a grand jury who told her the identity of CIA officer Valerie Plame, part of a special counsel's investigation into the leak.", "outcome": "upheld", "outcome_on": "2005-09-29", "outcome_note": "Courts upheld the contempt order and subpoena; Miller served 85 days before her source freed her to testify, and prosecutors later convicted Libby of perjury.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 2, "tactic_primary": "surveillance_and_subpoenas", "tactics": [ "secrets_and_espionage_laws", "surveillance_and_subpoenas" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2005-us-judith-miller-jailed-plame-source" } ] }, { "decade": "2010s", "incidents": [ { "slug": "2010-us-chelsea-manning-espionage-act-wikileaks", "title": "United States charges Army analyst Chelsea Manning under the Espionage Act for leaking to WikiLeaks", "occurred_on": "2010-07-05", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "punish", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "barack-obama", "leader_name": "Barack Obama", "what_was_done": "The U.S. Army charged intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning under the Espionage Act, a 1917 law against disclosing defense information, after she gave WikiLeaks, a website that publishes leaked documents, a large archive of military and diplomatic files that news organizations later published.", "outcome": "reversed", "outcome_on": "2017-01-17", "outcome_note": "Manning's convictions were not overturned, but President Obama commuted her 35-year sentence in January 2017 and she was released that May.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 1, "tactic_primary": "secrets_and_espionage_laws", "tactics": [ "detention_and_violence", "secrets_and_espionage_laws" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2010-us-chelsea-manning-espionage-act-wikileaks" }, { "slug": "2012-us-john-kiriakou-espionage-act-cia-torture-source", "title": "United States prosecutes former CIA officer John Kiriakou under the Espionage Act for identifying a covert colleague to a journalist", "occurred_on": "2013-01-25", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "punish", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "barack-obama", "leader_name": "Barack Obama", "what_was_done": "Former CIA officer John Kiriakou, who in 2007 was the first CIA officer to publicly describe the agency's waterboarding of a detainee, pleaded guilty to identifying a covert colleague to a journalist and was sentenced under the Espionage Act to 30 months in prison.", "outcome": "upheld", "outcome_on": "2015-02-03", "outcome_note": "Kiriakou served his full 30-month sentence under the plea agreement and was released in February 2015; no CIA interrogation-program official faced comparable charges.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 1, "tactic_primary": "secrets_and_espionage_laws", "tactics": [ "secrets_and_espionage_laws" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2012-us-john-kiriakou-espionage-act-cia-torture-source" }, { "slug": "2013-us-doj-seizes-ap-phone-records", "title": "United States Justice Department secretly seizes two months of Associated Press phone records", "occurred_on": "2013-05-13", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "punish", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "barack-obama", "leader_name": "Barack Obama", "what_was_done": "The U.S. Justice Department secretly obtained two months of telephone records from more than 20 Associated Press phone lines during a leak investigation, notifying the news agency only after the fact; AP called the scope of the seizure unjustified.", "outcome": "sustained", "outcome_on": "2013-07-12", "outcome_note": "The records were not returned and no journalist or source was charged; the Justice Department issued revised media-subpoena guidelines on July 12, 2013, after the disclosure.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 2, "tactic_primary": "surveillance_and_subpoenas", "tactics": [ "surveillance_and_subpoenas" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2013-us-doj-seizes-ap-phone-records" }, { "slug": "2013-us-doj-names-fox-reporter-co-conspirator", "title": "United States search warrant names Fox News reporter James Rosen a possible co-conspirator in a leak case", "occurred_on": "2013-05-20", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "punish", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "barack-obama", "leader_name": "Barack Obama", "what_was_done": "A 2010 FBI search-warrant affidavit, unsealed in 2013, described Fox News reporter James Rosen as a possible co-conspirator in violating the Espionage Act because he sought classified information from a State Department analyst, and used that theory to obtain his private emails.", "outcome": "sustained", "outcome_on": "2013-07-12", "outcome_note": "The warrant was not withdrawn from the record; Kim pleaded guilty in 2014 and Rosen was never charged. Holder's July 2013 guidelines later restricted subpoenas naming reporters as suspects.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 2, "tactic_primary": "surveillance_and_subpoenas", "tactics": [ "secrets_and_espionage_laws", "surveillance_and_subpoenas" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2013-us-doj-names-fox-reporter-co-conspirator" }, { "slug": "2013-obama-doj-charges-eight-under-espionage-act", "title": "United States: Espionage Act prosecutions of sources for leaks to the press, 2009 to 2013", "occurred_on": "2013-10-10", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "punish", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "barack-obama", "leader_name": "Barack Obama", "what_was_done": "A report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a non-profit organization in New York that documents cases of journalists imprisoned or killed worldwide, published on October 10, 2013, found that since 2009 the United States Department of Justice had brought felony charges against six gover…", "outcome": "unknown", "outcome_on": null, "outcome_note": "The record documents the prosecutions as a group; the outcome of each case is not recorded here.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 4, "tactic_primary": "secrets_and_espionage_laws", "tactics": [ "secrets_and_espionage_laws", "surveillance_and_subpoenas" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2013-obama-doj-charges-eight-under-espionage-act" }, { "slug": "2014-us-james-risen-subpoena-jeffrey-sterling", "title": "United States pursues New York Times reporter James Risen's testimony for years before dropping its demand for his source", "occurred_on": "2014-10-17", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "punish", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "barack-obama", "leader_name": "Barack Obama", "what_was_done": "For years, federal prosecutors sought New York Times reporter James Risen's testimony identifying a confidential source in a CIA leak case; the Supreme Court declined to hear his appeal, but Attorney General Eric Holder ultimately chose not to force him to testify or name the source.", "outcome": "reversed", "outcome_on": "2014-10-17", "outcome_note": "After the Supreme Court declined to hear Risen's appeal, the Justice Department chose not to compel his testimony or the identity of his source; Sterling was convicted without it.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 2, "tactic_primary": "surveillance_and_subpoenas", "tactics": [ "secrets_and_espionage_laws", "surveillance_and_subpoenas" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2014-us-james-risen-subpoena-jeffrey-sterling" }, { "slug": "2018-white-house-revokes-acosta-press-pass", "title": "United States: White House suspension of CNN correspondent Jim Acosta's hard pass, November 2018", "occurred_on": "2018-11-07", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "restrict", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "On November 7, 2018, the White House suspended the hard pass of CNN's White House correspondent, Jim Acosta, after what Gulf News called a \"heated confrontation\" between Acosta and the president of the United States, Donald Trump, at a news conference after the country's midterm elections.", "outcome": "reversed", "outcome_on": "2018-11-19", "outcome_note": "A temporary restraining order of 2018-11-16 required reinstatement; the White House restored the pass on 2018-11-19 and CNN dropped the suit.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 8, "tactic_primary": "credential_control", "tactics": [ "access_ban", "credential_control" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2018-white-house-revokes-acosta-press-pass" }, { "slug": "2018-us-cnn-acosta-credential-revoked", "title": "White House revokes CNN correspondent Jim Acosta's press credential after a news conference exchange with President Trump", "occurred_on": "2018-11-07", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "restrict", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "After CNN's Jim Acosta questioned President Trump at a news conference and briefly kept hold of a microphone as an intern reached for it, the White House suspended his hard pass, the standing credential letting reporters enter the grounds; a federal judge ordered it restored a week later.", "outcome": "reversed", "outcome_on": "2018-11-19", "outcome_note": "A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order on November 16, 2018, and the White House permanently restored Acosta's credential three days later rather than continue the lawsuit.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 2, "tactic_primary": "credential_control", "tactics": [ "access_ban", "credential_control" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2018-us-cnn-acosta-credential-revoked" }, { "slug": "2019-us-assange-espionage-act-indictment", "title": "United States indicts WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange under the Espionage Act", "occurred_on": "2019-05-23", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "punish", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "The United States indicted WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on 17 counts under the Espionage Act over the 2010 publication of leaked military and diplomatic files, charges press-freedom groups said could expose ordinary national-security journalism to prosecution.", "outcome": "reversed", "outcome_on": "2024-06-25", "outcome_note": "Assange spent five years in a British prison fighting extradition before a June 2024 plea deal: he pleaded guilty to one count, was sentenced to time served, and was released.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 2, "tactic_primary": "secrets_and_espionage_laws", "tactics": [ "secrets_and_espionage_laws" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2019-us-assange-espionage-act-indictment" } ] }, { "decade": "2020s", "incidents": [ { "slug": "2020-minnesota-state-patrol-arrests-cnn-crew-minneapolis", "title": "Minnesota State Patrol arrests CNN crew live on air in Minneapolis", "occurred_on": "2020-05-29", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "punish", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "tim-walz", "leader_name": "Tim Walz", "what_was_done": "Minnesota State Patrol troopers arrested CNN correspondent Omar Jimenez and his crew on live television while they covered protests after the police killing of George Floyd.", "outcome": "reversed", "outcome_on": "2020-05-29", "outcome_note": "The crew was released within about ninety minutes and Governor Walz apologized the same day, calling the arrest his own failure.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 2, "tactic_primary": "detention_and_violence", "tactics": [ "access_ban", "detention_and_violence" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2020-minnesota-state-patrol-arrests-cnn-crew-minneapolis" }, { "slug": "2020-minneapolis-police-blind-photojournalist-linda-tirado", "title": "Minneapolis police projectile permanently blinds photojournalist Linda Tirado", "occurred_on": "2020-05-29", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "punish", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "jacob-frey", "leader_name": "Jacob Frey", "what_was_done": "Freelance photojournalist Linda Tirado was struck in the face by a less-lethal round fired by Minneapolis police while covering protests over George Floyd's killing, permanently blinding her in one eye; the city settled her lawsuit for $600,000 in 2022 while continuing to deny an officer had fired…", "outcome": "sustained", "outcome_on": "2022-05-26", "outcome_note": "The city paid $600,000 in a 2022 settlement while continuing to deny that an identified officer fired the projectile.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 2, "tactic_primary": "detention_and_violence", "tactics": [ "detention_and_violence" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2020-minneapolis-police-blind-photojournalist-linda-tirado" }, { "slug": "2020-federal-officers-target-journalists-portland-injunction", "title": "Federal officers restrict press access to Portland protests; judge orders them to stop", "occurred_on": "2020-07-23", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "punish", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "After federal officers deployed to Portland used tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets on journalists and legal observers covering protests, the American Civil Liberties Union sued, and a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction barring officers from dispersing, arresting or using force ag…", "outcome": "reversed", "outcome_on": "2020-07-23", "outcome_note": "On July 23, 2020, the court ordered federal agents to stop dispersing, arresting or using force against identified journalists and legal observers; the order was later extended.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 3, "tactic_primary": "access_ban", "tactics": [ "access_ban", "detention_and_violence" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2020-federal-officers-target-journalists-portland-injunction" }, { "slug": "2020-hhs-officials-alter-cdc-covid-guidance-before-publication", "title": "Political appointees alter CDC coronavirus guidance before public release", "occurred_on": "2020-09-12", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "restrict", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "Reporting in 2020 found that political appointees at the Department of Health and Human Services rewrote or edited the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's public coronavirus guidance and its weekly scientific bulletin before release, bypassing the agency's normal scientific review.", "outcome": "unknown", "outcome_on": null, "outcome_note": "No agency reversal of the practice was documented in the sources reviewed; a congressional investigation examined the interference without a public admission of wrongdoing.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 2, "tactic_primary": "prior_restraint", "tactics": [ "prior_restraint" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2020-hhs-officials-alter-cdc-covid-guidance-before-publication" }, { "slug": "2021-doj-bans-seizing-reporters-records-garland", "title": "Justice Department bars seizing reporters' phone and email records", "occurred_on": "2021-07-19", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "punish", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "joe-biden", "leader_name": "Joe Biden", "what_was_done": "After it came to light that the Trump-era Justice Department had secretly obtained the phone and email records of reporters at The New York Times, The Washington Post and CNN, Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a policy barring prosecutors from using subpoenas or other compulsory process again…", "outcome": "reversed", "outcome_on": "2025-04-25", "outcome_note": "Attorney General Bondi rescinded these protections in April 2025, restoring the department's earlier discretionary balancing test.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 2, "tactic_primary": "surveillance_and_subpoenas", "tactics": [ "surveillance_and_subpoenas" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2021-doj-bans-seizing-reporters-records-garland" }, { "slug": "2021-fbi-raids-project-veritas-founder-okeefe", "title": "FBI raids Project Veritas founder's home over Ashley Biden diary investigation", "occurred_on": "2021-11-06", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "punish", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "joe-biden", "leader_name": "Joe Biden", "what_was_done": "FBI agents raided Project Veritas founder James O'Keefe's New York home and seized his phones as part of an investigation into the alleged theft of a diary belonging to Ashley Biden, President Biden's daughter, which the group had reported on; O'Keefe was never charged.", "outcome": "unknown", "outcome_on": null, "outcome_note": "No charges were ever filed against O'Keefe; a court later allowed prosecutors to review the seized phones.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 1, "tactic_primary": "surveillance_and_subpoenas", "tactics": [ "detention_and_violence", "surveillance_and_subpoenas" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2021-fbi-raids-project-veritas-founder-okeefe" }, { "slug": "2023-arizona-police-recording-law-struck-down", "title": "Federal court strikes down Arizona's law banning recording police within 8 feet", "occurred_on": "2023-07-21", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "restrict", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "doug-ducey", "leader_name": "Doug Ducey", "what_was_done": "Arizona's 2022 law making it a crime to record police within eight feet after a warning was struck down by a federal judge in July 2023, who found it chilled a substantial amount of activity protected by the First Amendment and was not necessary given other laws already protecting officers.", "outcome": "reversed", "outcome_on": "2023-07-21", "outcome_note": "A federal judge permanently enjoined enforcement of the law, and Arizona's attorney general did not appeal.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 2, "tactic_primary": "access_ban", "tactics": [ "access_ban" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2023-arizona-police-recording-law-struck-down" }, { "slug": "2023-marion-county-record-raid-kansas", "title": "Police raid Marion County Record newsroom and publisher's home in Kansas", "occurred_on": "2023-08-11", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "punish", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "laura-kelly", "leader_name": "Laura Kelly", "what_was_done": "Police in Marion, Kansas, led by Chief Gideon Cody, raided the Marion County Record's newsroom and publisher Eric Meyer's home, seizing computers, phones and files, on a warrant tied to an identity-theft investigation.", "outcome": "reversed", "outcome_on": "2024-08-05", "outcome_note": "Special prosecutors found no evidence Record reporters had committed a crime and moved to charge former police chief Gideon Cody.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 3, "tactic_primary": "surveillance_and_subpoenas", "tactics": [ "detention_and_violence", "surveillance_and_subpoenas" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2023-marion-county-record-raid-kansas" }, { "slug": "2024-louisiana-enacts-police-buffer-zone-law", "title": "United States (Louisiana): 25-foot buffer zone law around police officers, May 2024", "occurred_on": "2024-05-24", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "restrict", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "jeff-landry", "leader_name": "Jeff Landry", "what_was_done": "On May 24, 2024, the governor of Louisiana, a state in the southern United States, Jeff Landry, signed a law that makes it a crime to stay within 25 feet (about 7.6 metres) of a working law enforcement officer after the officer has told a person to step back.", "outcome": "ongoing", "outcome_on": "2025-01-31", "outcome_note": "Enforcement blocked by a preliminary injunction on 2025-01-31 while the case is pending; Louisiana's appeal was reported pending as of mid-2026.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 6, "tactic_primary": "access_ban", "tactics": [ "access_ban" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2024-louisiana-enacts-police-buffer-zone-law" }, { "slug": "2024-trump-sues-des-moines-register-selzer-poll", "title": "Trump sues Des Moines Register and pollster Ann Selzer over final Iowa poll", "occurred_on": "2024-12-16", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "pressure", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "President-elect Trump sued the Des Moines Register and longtime pollster Ann Selzer under Iowa's consumer fraud law over her final pre-election poll, which showed Kamala Harris ahead in Iowa days before Trump won the state; a judge later questioned whether the case could proceed without discouragin…", "outcome": "ongoing", "outcome_on": "2026-07-10", "outcome_note": "The judge said allowing the suit to proceed could broadly discourage election polling and reporting; a ruling on dismissal was pending.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 2, "tactic_primary": "lawsuits_against_press", "tactics": [ "lawsuits_against_press" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2024-trump-sues-des-moines-register-selzer-poll" } ] } ], "tactics_in_use_now": [ { "slug": "access_ban", "name": "Access bans", "ladder_url": "https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/access_ban", "united_states": [ { "slug": "2025-florida-halo-law-takes-effect", "title": "United States (Florida): Halo Law buffer zone around first responders, January 2025", "occurred_on": "2025-01-01", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "restrict", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "ron-desantis", "leader_name": "Ron DeSantis", "what_was_done": "On January 1, 2025, the \"Halo Law\" took effect in Florida, a state in the south-eastern United States.", "outcome": "sustained", "outcome_on": "2025-01-01", "outcome_note": "In effect from 2025-01-01; the sources cited report no court order blocking it (as of 2026-09-22).", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 2, "tactic_primary": "access_ban", "tactics": [ "access_ban" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-florida-halo-law-takes-effect" }, { "slug": "2025-federal-judge-blocks-louisiana-buffer-law", "title": "United States (Louisiana): Federal court order blocking enforcement of the police buffer zone law, January 2025", "occurred_on": "2025-01-31", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "restrict", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "jeff-landry", "leader_name": "Jeff Landry", "what_was_done": "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 whi…", "outcome": "ongoing", "outcome_on": "2025-01-31", "outcome_note": "Preliminary injunction granted 2025-01-31; Louisiana's appeal was reported pending as of mid-2026.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 2, "tactic_primary": "access_ban", "tactics": [ "access_ban" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-federal-judge-blocks-louisiana-buffer-law" }, { "slug": "2025-tom-homan-signals-end-to-ice-media-ride-alongs", "title": "Border czar Tom Homan says ICE media ride-alongs may end over leaks", "occurred_on": "2025-02-06", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "restrict", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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.", "outcome": "unknown", "outcome_on": null, "outcome_note": "Homan described ending ride-alongs as under consideration; no formal, dated order was documented in the source reviewed.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 1, "tactic_primary": "access_ban", "tactics": [ "access_ban" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-tom-homan-signals-end-to-ice-media-ride-alongs" }, { "slug": "2025-white-house-bars-ap-gulf-of-america", "title": "United States: White House exclusion of the Associated Press from the Oval Office and Air Force One, February 2025", "occurred_on": "2025-02-11", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "restrict", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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.", "outcome": "ongoing", "outcome_on": "2025-07-22", "outcome_note": "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.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 6, "tactic_primary": "access_ban", "tactics": [ "access_ban" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-white-house-bars-ap-gulf-of-america" }, { "slug": "2025-whca-loses-control-of-press-pool", "title": "United States: White House takes over selection of the presidential press pool, February 2025", "occurred_on": "2025-02-25", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "restrict", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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.", "outcome": "sustained", "outcome_on": "2026-09-22", "outcome_note": "The White House selects the pool as of 2026-09-22, according to the Associated Press (s104).", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 3, "tactic_primary": "access_ban", "tactics": [ "access_ban", "credential_control" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-whca-loses-control-of-press-pool" }, { "slug": "2025-white-house-cuts-wire-service-pool-slot", "title": "White House ends wire services' guaranteed seat in the press pool", "occurred_on": "2025-04-15", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "restrict", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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.", "outcome": "sustained", "outcome_on": null, "outcome_note": "The dedicated wire-service pool seat was not restored; the outlets continued to compete for a rotating slot.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 1, "tactic_primary": "access_ban", "tactics": [ "access_ban" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-white-house-cuts-wire-service-pool-slot" }, { "slug": "2025-pentagon-issues-new-press-credentialing-rules", "title": "United States: Department of Defense press credential rules requiring approval before release of information, September 2025", "occurred_on": "2025-09-19", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "restrict", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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.", "outcome": "ongoing", "outcome_on": "2026-04-09", "outcome_note": "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.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 5, "tactic_primary": "credential_control", "tactics": [ "access_ban", "credential_control", "prior_restraint" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-pentagon-issues-new-press-credentialing-rules" }, { "slug": "2025-pentagon-press-corps-forfeits-badges", "title": "United States: News organizations turn in their Pentagon press credentials, October 2025", "occurred_on": "2025-10-15", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "restrict", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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.", "outcome": "ongoing", "outcome_on": "2026-04-09", "outcome_note": "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.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 2, "tactic_primary": "credential_control", "tactics": [ "access_ban", "credential_control" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-pentagon-press-corps-forfeits-badges" }, { "slug": "2025-white-house-restricts-access-to-upper-press-office", "title": "White House closes 'Upper Press' section of West Wing to reporters", "occurred_on": "2025-10-31", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "restrict", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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.", "outcome": "sustained", "outcome_on": null, "outcome_note": "The restricted access to Upper Press remained in effect; the WHCA's objection did not lead to a reversal in the source reviewed.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 1, "tactic_primary": "access_ban", "tactics": [ "access_ban" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-white-house-restricts-access-to-upper-press-office" }, { "slug": "2026-white-house-bans-cnn-msnow-politico", "title": "United States: White House hard-pass deactivations for CNN, MS NOW and Politico reporters, September 2026", "occurred_on": "2026-09-18", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "restrict", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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'…", "outcome": "ongoing", "outcome_on": "2026-09-21", "outcome_note": "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.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 11, "tactic_primary": "access_ban", "tactics": [ "access_ban", "credential_control" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2026-white-house-bans-cnn-msnow-politico" } ], "furthest_stage_elsewhere": "silence", "furthest_stage_examples": [ { "slug": "2025-tanzania-internet-shutdown-election-day", "country": "TZ", "country_name": "Tanzania", "occurred_on": "2025-10-29", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 117, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 117th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-tanzania-internet-shutdown-election-day" }, { "slug": "1985-south-africa-state-of-emergency-media-ban", "country": "ZA", "country_name": "South Africa", "occurred_on": "1985-11-02", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 21, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 21st of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1985-south-africa-state-of-emergency-media-ban" } ] }, { "slug": "credential_control", "name": "Credential control", "ladder_url": "https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/credential_control", "united_states": [ { "slug": "2025-whca-loses-control-of-press-pool", "title": "United States: White House takes over selection of the presidential press pool, February 2025", "occurred_on": "2025-02-25", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "restrict", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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.", "outcome": "sustained", "outcome_on": "2026-09-22", "outcome_note": "The White House selects the pool as of 2026-09-22, according to the Associated Press (s104).", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 3, "tactic_primary": "access_ban", "tactics": [ "access_ban", "credential_control" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-whca-loses-control-of-press-pool" }, { "slug": "2025-pentagon-issues-new-press-credentialing-rules", "title": "United States: Department of Defense press credential rules requiring approval before release of information, September 2025", "occurred_on": "2025-09-19", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "restrict", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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.", "outcome": "ongoing", "outcome_on": "2026-04-09", "outcome_note": "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.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 5, "tactic_primary": "credential_control", "tactics": [ "access_ban", "credential_control", "prior_restraint" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-pentagon-issues-new-press-credentialing-rules" }, { "slug": "2025-pentagon-press-corps-forfeits-badges", "title": "United States: News organizations turn in their Pentagon press credentials, October 2025", "occurred_on": "2025-10-15", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "restrict", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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.", "outcome": "ongoing", "outcome_on": "2026-04-09", "outcome_note": "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.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 2, "tactic_primary": "credential_control", "tactics": [ "access_ban", "credential_control" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-pentagon-press-corps-forfeits-badges" }, { "slug": "2026-white-house-bans-cnn-msnow-politico", "title": "United States: White House hard-pass deactivations for CNN, MS NOW and Politico reporters, September 2026", "occurred_on": "2026-09-18", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "restrict", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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'…", "outcome": "ongoing", "outcome_on": "2026-09-21", "outcome_note": "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.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 11, "tactic_primary": "access_ban", "tactics": [ "access_ban", "credential_control" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2026-white-house-bans-cnn-msnow-politico" } ], "furthest_stage_elsewhere": "silence", "furthest_stage_examples": [ { "slug": "1938-spain-franco-press-law", "country": "ES", "country_name": "Spain", "occurred_on": "1938-04-01", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 29, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 29th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1938-spain-franco-press-law" }, { "slug": "1933-germany-editors-law", "country": "DE", "country_name": "Germany", "occurred_on": "1933-10-04", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 14, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 14th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1933-germany-editors-law" } ] }, { "slug": "outlet_licensing", "name": "Licensing and closure of outlets", "ladder_url": "https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/outlet_licensing", "united_states": [ { "slug": "2025-fcc-pressure-precedes-kimmel-suspension", "title": "United States: Federal Communications Commission chairman's remarks and the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, September 2025", "occurred_on": "2025-09-17", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "pressure", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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…", "outcome": "reversed", "outcome_on": "2025-09-23", "outcome_note": "ABC announced the show's return for 2025-09-23 after about a week off the air, according to Al Jazeera (s112).", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 2, "tactic_primary": "funding_and_ownership_pressure", "tactics": [ "funding_and_ownership_pressure", "outlet_licensing" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-fcc-pressure-precedes-kimmel-suspension" } ], "furthest_stage_elsewhere": "eliminate", "furthest_stage_examples": [ { "slug": "2025-hong-kong-convicts-jimmy-lai-under-national-security-law", "country": "HK", "country_name": "Hong Kong", "occurred_on": "2025-12-15", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 140, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 140th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-hong-kong-convicts-jimmy-lai-under-national-security-law" } ] }, { "slug": "prior_restraint", "name": "Prior restraint", "ladder_url": "https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/prior_restraint", "united_states": [ { "slug": "2025-pentagon-issues-new-press-credentialing-rules", "title": "United States: Department of Defense press credential rules requiring approval before release of information, September 2025", "occurred_on": "2025-09-19", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "restrict", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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.", "outcome": "ongoing", "outcome_on": "2026-04-09", "outcome_note": "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.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 5, "tactic_primary": "credential_control", "tactics": [ "access_ban", "credential_control", "prior_restraint" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-pentagon-issues-new-press-credentialing-rules" } ], "furthest_stage_elsewhere": "eliminate", "furthest_stage_examples": [ { "slug": "1976-argentina-junta-press-decrees", "country": "AR", "country_name": "Argentina", "occurred_on": "1976-03-24", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 98, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 98th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1976-argentina-junta-press-decrees" } ] }, { "slug": "surveillance_and_subpoenas", "name": "Surveillance and subpoenas", "ladder_url": "https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/surveillance_and_subpoenas", "united_states": [ { "slug": "2025-doj-rescinds-media-subpoena-guidelines", "title": "United States: Department of Justice rescission of rules limiting subpoenas of journalists, April 2025", "occurred_on": "2025-04-25", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "pressure", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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…", "outcome": "sustained", "outcome_on": "2025-04-25", "outcome_note": "In effect since 2025-04-25; the sources cited report no restoration of the earlier rules (as of 2026-09-22).", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 1, "tactic_primary": "surveillance_and_subpoenas", "tactics": [ "surveillance_and_subpoenas" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-doj-rescinds-media-subpoena-guidelines" }, { "slug": "2026-cbp-seizes-grayzone-editor-phones-airport", "title": "Customs officers seize Grayzone editor's phones at Virginia airport over Iran reporting", "occurred_on": "2026-07-10", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "punish", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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.", "outcome": "reversed", "outcome_on": "2026-07-17", "outcome_note": "Customs returned Blumenthal's phones after he sued; litigation continued into discovery over possible data extraction.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 1, "tactic_primary": "surveillance_and_subpoenas", "tactics": [ "surveillance_and_subpoenas" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2026-cbp-seizes-grayzone-editor-phones-airport" } ], "furthest_stage_elsewhere": "punish", "furthest_stage_examples": [ { "slug": "2025-bangladesh-journalists-attacked-interim-government", "country": "BD", "country_name": "Bangladesh", "occurred_on": "2025-02-03", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 152, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 152nd of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-bangladesh-journalists-attacked-interim-government" }, { "slug": "2020-australia-high-court-invalidates-smethurst-warrant", "country": "AU", "country_name": "Australia", "occurred_on": "2020-04-15", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 33, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 33rd of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2020-australia-high-court-invalidates-smethurst-warrant" }, { "slug": "2019-australia-afp-raids-abc-afghan-files", "country": "AU", "country_name": "Australia", "occurred_on": "2019-06-05", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 33, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 33rd of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2019-australia-afp-raids-abc-afghan-files" }, { "slug": "2013-uk-miranda-detention-guardian-hard-drives", "country": "GB", "country_name": "United Kingdom", "occurred_on": "2013-08-18", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 18, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 18th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2013-uk-miranda-detention-guardian-hard-drives" } ] }, { "slug": "funding_and_ownership_pressure", "name": "Funding and ownership pressure", "ladder_url": "https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/funding_and_ownership_pressure", "united_states": [ { "slug": "2025-fcc-carr-news-distortion-complaints-nbc-cbs", "title": "FCC chair reopens 'news distortion' complaints against CBS and NBC", "occurred_on": "2025-01-22", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "pressure", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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.", "outcome": "ongoing", "outcome_on": null, "outcome_note": "The complaints against CBS and NBC remained open, with no formal licensing action announced in the source reviewed.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 1, "tactic_primary": "funding_and_ownership_pressure", "tactics": [ "disinformation_labeling", "funding_and_ownership_pressure" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-fcc-carr-news-distortion-complaints-nbc-cbs" }, { "slug": "2025-60-minutes-producer-owens-resigns-loss-of-independence", "title": "60 Minutes executive producer resigns, citing lost editorial independence", "occurred_on": "2025-04-22", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "pressure", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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 lo…", "outcome": "sustained", "outcome_on": "2025-04-22", "outcome_note": "Owens's resignation was not reversed; the program continued under Paramount's new oversight amid the pending settlement and merger.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 1, "tactic_primary": "funding_and_ownership_pressure", "tactics": [ "funding_and_ownership_pressure", "lawsuits_against_press" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-60-minutes-producer-owens-resigns-loss-of-independence" }, { "slug": "2025-trump-order-ends-cpb-funding-npr-pbs", "title": "United States: Executive Order 14290 directing an end to federal funding for NPR and PBS, May 2025", "occurred_on": "2025-05-01", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "pressure", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "On May 1, 2025, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, signed Executive Order 14290, \"Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Biased Media.\"", "outcome": "unknown", "outcome_on": null, "outcome_note": "No court ruling on Executive Order 14290 and no final funding figure appears in the sources cited (as of 2026-09-22).", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 3, "tactic_primary": "funding_and_ownership_pressure", "tactics": [ "funding_and_ownership_pressure" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-trump-order-ends-cpb-funding-npr-pbs" }, { "slug": "2025-congress-rescinds-cpb-funding", "title": "Congress cuts $1.1 billion in federal funding for public broadcasting", "occurred_on": "2025-07-18", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "pressure", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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.", "outcome": "sustained", "outcome_on": "2025-07-24", "outcome_note": "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.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 2, "tactic_primary": "funding_and_ownership_pressure", "tactics": [ "funding_and_ownership_pressure" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-congress-rescinds-cpb-funding" }, { "slug": "2025-fcc-approves-paramount-skydance-with-ombudsman-condition", "title": "FCC approves Paramount-Skydance merger after CBS ombudsman and anti-DEI pledges", "occurred_on": "2025-07-24", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "pressure", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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…", "outcome": "sustained", "outcome_on": "2025-07-24", "outcome_note": "The FCC approved the merger with the ombudsman and anti-DEI conditions in place; Commissioner Gomez's dissent did not change the outcome.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 1, "tactic_primary": "funding_and_ownership_pressure", "tactics": [ "funding_and_ownership_pressure" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-fcc-approves-paramount-skydance-with-ombudsman-condition" }, { "slug": "2025-fcc-pressure-precedes-kimmel-suspension", "title": "United States: Federal Communications Commission chairman's remarks and the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, September 2025", "occurred_on": "2025-09-17", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "pressure", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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…", "outcome": "reversed", "outcome_on": "2025-09-23", "outcome_note": "ABC announced the show's return for 2025-09-23 after about a week off the air, according to Al Jazeera (s112).", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 2, "tactic_primary": "funding_and_ownership_pressure", "tactics": [ "funding_and_ownership_pressure", "outlet_licensing" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-fcc-pressure-precedes-kimmel-suspension" }, { "slug": "2026-court-orders-fcc-to-answer-news-distortion-challenge", "title": "Appeals court orders FCC to respond to challenge over 'news distortion' policy", "occurred_on": "2026-04-28", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "pressure", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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 re…", "outcome": "ongoing", "outcome_on": "2026-04-28", "outcome_note": "A federal appeals court ordered the FCC to respond to the mandamus petition within thirty days; the underlying policy remained unresolved.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 1, "tactic_primary": "funding_and_ownership_pressure", "tactics": [ "funding_and_ownership_pressure" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2026-court-orders-fcc-to-answer-news-distortion-challenge" }, { "slug": "2025-usagm-moves-to-shut-down-voice-of-america", "title": "United States: U.S. Agency for Global Media action to shut down Voice of America operations, March 2025", "occurred_on": "2025-03-15", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "silence", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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…", "outcome": "ongoing", "outcome_on": "2025-03-28", "outcome_note": "A temporary restraining order of 2025-03-28 barred USAGM from reducing its workforce; litigation continued into 2026.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 5, "tactic_primary": "funding_and_ownership_pressure", "tactics": [ "funding_and_ownership_pressure" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-usagm-moves-to-shut-down-voice-of-america" } ], "furthest_stage_elsewhere": "silence", "furthest_stage_examples": [ { "slug": "2024-argentina-milei-closes-telam", "country": "AR", "country_name": "Argentina", "occurred_on": "2024-03-04", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 98, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 98th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2024-argentina-milei-closes-telam" }, { "slug": "2017-cambodia-daily-closed-tax-bill", "country": "KH", "country_name": "Cambodia", "occurred_on": "2017-09-04", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 151, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 151st of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2017-cambodia-daily-closed-tax-bill" }, { "slug": "2001-russia-gazprom-takeover-ntv", "country": "RU", "country_name": "Russia", "occurred_on": "2001-04-14", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 172, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2001-russia-gazprom-takeover-ntv" }, { "slug": "1960-egypt-nasser-nationalizes-press", "country": "EG", "country_name": "Egypt", "occurred_on": "1960-05-24", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 169, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 169th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1960-egypt-nasser-nationalizes-press" } ] }, { "slug": "detention_and_violence", "name": "Detention and violence", "ladder_url": "https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/detention_and_violence", "united_states": [ { "slug": "2025-australian-journalist-shot-rubber-bullet-los-angeles", "title": "Officer shoots Australian journalist with rubber bullet during Los Angeles immigration protests", "occurred_on": "2025-06-09", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "punish", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "karen-bass", "leader_name": "Karen Bass", "what_was_done": "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.", "outcome": "unknown", "outcome_on": null, "outcome_note": "No investigation or disciplinary outcome regarding the officer who fired at Tomasi was reported in the source reviewed.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 1, "tactic_primary": "detention_and_violence", "tactics": [ "detention_and_violence" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-australian-journalist-shot-rubber-bullet-los-angeles" } ], "furthest_stage_elsewhere": "eliminate", "furthest_stage_examples": [ { "slug": "2025-hong-kong-convicts-jimmy-lai-under-national-security-law", "country": "HK", "country_name": "Hong Kong", "occurred_on": "2025-12-15", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 140, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 140th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-hong-kong-convicts-jimmy-lai-under-national-security-law" }, { "slug": "2023-guatemala-convicts-zamora-money-laundering", "country": "GT", "country_name": "Guatemala", "occurred_on": "2023-06-14", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 128, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 128th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2023-guatemala-convicts-zamora-money-laundering" }, { "slug": "2018-saudi-arabia-khashoggi-killed-consulate", "country": "SA", "country_name": "Saudi Arabia", "occurred_on": "2018-10-02", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 176, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 176th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2018-saudi-arabia-khashoggi-killed-consulate" }, { "slug": "2018-myanmar-reuters-journalists-official-secrets-act", "country": "MM", "country_name": "Myanmar", "occurred_on": "2018-09-03", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 166, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 166th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2018-myanmar-reuters-journalists-official-secrets-act" } ] }, { "slug": "lawsuits_against_press", "name": "Lawsuits against the press", "ladder_url": "https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/lawsuits_against_press", "united_states": [ { "slug": "2025-60-minutes-producer-owens-resigns-loss-of-independence", "title": "60 Minutes executive producer resigns, citing lost editorial independence", "occurred_on": "2025-04-22", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "pressure", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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 lo…", "outcome": "sustained", "outcome_on": "2025-04-22", "outcome_note": "Owens's resignation was not reversed; the program continued under Paramount's new oversight amid the pending settlement and merger.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 1, "tactic_primary": "funding_and_ownership_pressure", "tactics": [ "funding_and_ownership_pressure", "lawsuits_against_press" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-60-minutes-producer-owens-resigns-loss-of-independence" }, { "slug": "2025-paramount-cbs-settle-60-minutes-suit", "title": "United States: Paramount settlement of Donald Trump's lawsuit over a 60 Minutes interview, July 2025", "occurred_on": "2025-07-01", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "pressure", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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…", "outcome": "sustained", "outcome_on": "2025-07-01", "outcome_note": "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.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 1, "tactic_primary": "lawsuits_against_press", "tactics": [ "lawsuits_against_press" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-paramount-cbs-settle-60-minutes-suit" }, { "slug": "2025-trump-sues-wall-street-journal-epstein-letter", "title": "Trump sues Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch over Epstein birthday letter story", "occurred_on": "2025-07-18", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "pressure", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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.", "outcome": "ongoing", "outcome_on": null, "outcome_note": "Dow Jones moved to dismiss the suit in September 2025, arguing the reporting was true; the case remained in litigation.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 2, "tactic_primary": "lawsuits_against_press", "tactics": [ "lawsuits_against_press" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-trump-sues-wall-street-journal-epstein-letter" }, { "slug": "2025-trump-sues-new-york-times-15-billion", "title": "Trump files, then refiles, $15 billion defamation suit against the New York Times", "occurred_on": "2025-09-15", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "pressure", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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.", "outcome": "ongoing", "outcome_on": "2025-10-16", "outcome_note": "A judge dismissed the original complaint for violating pleading rules; Trump refiled a shortened, six-claim complaint in October 2025.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 2, "tactic_primary": "lawsuits_against_press", "tactics": [ "lawsuits_against_press" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-trump-sues-new-york-times-15-billion" } ], "furthest_stage_elsewhere": null, "furthest_stage_examples": [] }, { "slug": "disinformation_labeling", "name": "Official labels", "ladder_url": "https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/disinformation_labeling", "united_states": [ { "slug": "2025-fcc-carr-news-distortion-complaints-nbc-cbs", "title": "FCC chair reopens 'news distortion' complaints against CBS and NBC", "occurred_on": "2025-01-22", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "pressure", "focal_case": true, "country": "US", "country_name": "United States", "continent": "north-america", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 64, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "donald-trump", "leader_name": "Donald Trump", "what_was_done": "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.", "outcome": "ongoing", "outcome_on": null, "outcome_note": "The complaints against CBS and NBC remained open, with no formal licensing action announced in the source reviewed.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 1, "tactic_primary": "funding_and_ownership_pressure", "tactics": [ "disinformation_labeling", "funding_and_ownership_pressure" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-fcc-carr-news-distortion-complaints-nbc-cbs" } ], "furthest_stage_elsewhere": "eliminate", "furthest_stage_examples": [ { "slug": "2023-nicaragua-strips-journalists-citizenship", "country": "NI", "country_name": "Nicaragua", "occurred_on": "2023-02-15", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 168, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 168th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2023-nicaragua-strips-journalists-citizenship" } ] } ], "the_law": [ { "slug": "sherrill-v-knight-1977", "caption": "Sherrill v. Knight", "court": "United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit", "docket": null, "filed_on": null, "decided_on": "1977-12-15", "status": "decided", "holding": "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 bases for denial, an opportunity for the applicant to respond to these, and a final written statement of the reasons for denial.\" Status as of 2026-09-22: Final.", "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/cases/sherrill-v-knight-1977" }, { "slug": "cnn-v-trump-2018", "caption": "Cable News Network, Inc. v. Trump", "court": "U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia", "docket": "1:18-cv-02610", "filed_on": "2018-11-13", "decided_on": "2018-11-16", "status": "dismissed", "holding": "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 suit. Status as of 2026-09-22: Dismissed.", "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/cases/cnn-v-trump-2018" }, { "slug": "ap-v-budowich-2025", "caption": "Associated Press v. Budowich", "court": "U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia; U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit", "docket": "1:25-cv-00532 (D.D.C.); No. 25-5109 (D.C. Cir.)", "filed_on": "2025-02-21", "decided_on": "2025-06-06", "status": "on_appeal", "holding": "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 stay, 2 to 1, holding that the Oval Office, Air Force One, Mar-a-Lago and the Cabinet Room are restricted spaces where access is a matter of presidential discretion, and leaving AP's East Room access in place; Judge Pillard dissented. The full D.C. Circuit denied rehearing en banc on 2025-07-22. Status as of 2026-09-22: On appeal.", "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/cases/ap-v-budowich-2025" }, { "slug": "cnn-msnow-politico-v-trump-2026", "caption": "Cable News Network, Inc. v. Trump", "court": "U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia", "docket": "1:26-cv-03287", "filed_on": "2026-09-21", "decided_on": null, "status": "pending", "holding": "Not yet decided. Status as of 2026-09-22: Pending.", "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/cases/cnn-msnow-politico-v-trump-2026" } ], "sources": [ { "id": 104, "url": "https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/09/22/what-is-the-white-house-pool-its-a-battleground-between-trump-and-free-press-rights", "final_url": "https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/09/22/what-is-the-white-house-pool-its-a-battleground-between-trump-and-free-press-rights", "title": "What is the White House pool? 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