The Iran War Marks New Era of Media Crackdowns on All Sides (1)

It’s been half a century since the Vietnam War, when journalists had almost unrestricted access to the battlefield.

In the years since the fall of Saigon ended that first conflict of the television age, restrictions on press freedom have grown.

Now, with the US-Israeli war on Iran — the first major military engagement with American involvement of the social-media era — the world is facing an information black box.

A CBS camera crew interviews American soldiers, Tay Ninh Road, Vietnam. 1967.

Photographer: Tim Page/Corbis Historical/Getty Images

Internet blackouts have been imposed in Iran. In Gulf states dealing with Tehran’s response, filming damage from attacks is banned, and people who defy the orders are being arrested in ...