Symptoms of Oppression
COVID-19: The Hit on Press Freedom
Amid emergency measures and lockdowns, journalists worldwide have been arrested, attacked or blocked from reporting on COVID-19. Some news outlets closed or cut operations under economic stress or government steps to control information. Select a country or category to see the impacts.
- Threats to Press
- Legal Action: Journalists arrested, detained, questioned or facing legal complaints over their coverage of the pandemic
- Attacked: Journalists physically attacked, verbally assaulted, threatened or harassed while reporting on COVID
- Blocked: Journalists denied access to briefings or events
- Censored: News websites blocked or journalists ordered to not cover COVID related issues
- False News: Journalists accused of or charged with false news for COVID coverage
- Suspended: News outlets shuttered either by government decree or because of financial impact
AfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaArmeniaAzerbaijanBahrainBangladeshBelarusBoliviaBosnia and HerzegovinaBrazilMyanmarCambodiaCanadaChadChinaCongo (DRC)CroatiaEcuadorEgyptEthiopiaFranceGermanyGhanaHaitiVatican CityHondurasHungaryIndiaIranIraqItalyJapanJordanKenyaKosovoKyrgyzstanLiberiaMalawiMalaysiaMexicoMoroccoNamibiaNepalNetherlandsNigerNigeriaOmanPakistanPhilippinesPolandRomaniaRussiaRwandaSenegalSerbiaSlovakiaSloveniaSomaliaSouth AfricaSpainSwedenTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTunisiaTurkeyUnited StatesUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUzbekistanVenezuelaVietnamYemenZambiaZimbabwe