Government officials are investigating after a US journalist reported his passport was withheld by a border agent who repeatedly asked him to admit he wrote propaganda as he attempted to re-enter the country.

Ben Watson, a news editor at American national defence publication Defense One and a former US army public affairs officer, said he had arrived at Dulles airport in Washington DC following an assignment in Denmark.

However as passed through airport security he was confronted by a Customs and Border Protection official, who Mr Watson said proceeded to ask him what he did for a living.

When he responded “journalism” he said the official, still holding his passport, responded “so you write propaganda right?”

As reported in Mr Watson’s own publication, the journalist said he did not.

The 20 worst countries for press freedom Show all 20 1 /20 The 20 worst countries for press freedom The 20 worst countries for press freedom 20. Tajikistan Due to government pressure worsened by an economic crisis, most independent news outlets have closed, many journalists have fled the country and those who remain self-censor. Tajikistan has dropped 12 places in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index since 2018. The 20 worst countries for press freedom 19. Libya Due to the instability of recent years, journalists are at great risk when working in Libya. One journalist has been killed so far this year in the country. Libya remains in the same place as 2018 in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index. The 20 worst countries for press freedom 18. Egypt President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has further damaged press freedom in Egypt. The government often bans media outlets and has blocked over 500 websites. There are currently 25 journalists in jail in Egypt making it one of the worst countries for imprisoning journalists in the world. Egypt has dropped two places in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index since 2018. The 20 worst countries for press freedom 17. Somalia Three journalists were killed in Somalia in 2018 while a further three survived or eluded attempts on their life. Journalists also risk torture or the closure of their media outlets at the hands of the government. Despite this, Somalia has risen four places in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index since 2018. The 20 worst countries for press freedom 16. Equatorial Guinea The media in Equatorial Guinea is closely controlled by the government. Coverage of the Arab Spring, fighting in Mali and Syria and the fall of Burkina Faso's president was completely banned. Despite this, Equatorial Guinea has risen six places in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index since 2018. 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Yemen has dropped one place in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index since 2018. The 20 worst countries for press freedom 12. Cuba The Cuban government has maintained control over the media since the now-deceased Fidel Castro came to power in 1959. Privately-owned media is prohibited by the constitution. Improved access to the internet and the election of Miguel Diaz-Canel as president in 2018 are thought to spell hope for the future of press freedom in the country. Cuba has risen three places in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index since 2018. The 20 worst countries for press freedom 11. Iran Iran has been one of the world's most oppressive countries for journalists ever since the revolution of 1979. Journalists are often handed lengthy jail sentences in unfair trials. Iran has dropped six places in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index since 2018. The 20 worst countries for press freedom 10. Laos The government of Laos exercises complete control over the media. Use of the internet is heavily regulated by the state and less than 10% of the population are online. Since 2016, foreign news outlets have only been able to set up offices in the country on the condition that they submit all content for censorship by the ruling Lao Revolutionary people's party. Laos has dropped one place in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index since 2018. The 20 worst countries for press freedom 9. Saudi Arabia Independent media are not permitted in Saudi Arabia. Saudi journalists working abroad are kept under close surveillance as demonstrated by the murder of New York Times reporter Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey in October 2018. Critical journalists are often jailed on arbitrary terms and likely subject to torture. Saudi Arabia has dropped three places in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index since 2018. 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Sudan Journalists bore the brunt of the regime's crackdown on protests that have been ongoing since December 2018 with over 100 in jail at the time of Omar al-Bashir's overthrow. The situation for journalists has not improved since the military coup in April as the new rulers quickly moved to shut down the offices of Al Jazeera and banned its staff from working in the country. Sudan has dropped one place in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index since 2018. The 20 worst countries for press freedom 5. Vietnam All major outlets are tightly regulated by the government. Independent journalists are persecuted and jailed under laws outlawing "activities aimed at overthrowing the government,” “anti-state propaganda” and “abusing the rights to freedom and democracy to threaten the interests of the state." Vietnam has dropped one place in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index since 2018. The 20 worst countries for press freedom 4. China While state owned media are allowed in China, they are closely controlled by the government and the most widely circulated new source in China is entirely state owned. The internet is tightly regulated. Over 60 journalists are currently detained and held in poor conditions, two recently died from cancers that were left untreated after their capture. China has dropped one place in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index since 2018. The 20 worst countries for press freedom 3. Eritrea Independent media is not permitted in Eritrea. Reporters without Borders believe that there are at least 11 journalists in jail here but the government will not confirm this nor will it allow the suspected prisoners any access to their families or lawyers. Despite this, Eritrea has risen one place in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index since 2018. The 20 worst countries for press freedom 2. North Korea Kim Jong Un's regime exercise near total control over all media and communications. More foreign media have been allowed access the country in recent years albeit under extremely strict conditions set by the government. Despite this, North Korea has risen one place in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index since 2018. The 20 worst countries for press freedom 1. Turkmenistan All media in Turkmenistan are controlled by the government. The few internet users can only access a strictly censored web. Journalists are harassed, arrested and tortured. Authorities have recently taken to removing satellite dishes around the cities, ostensibly to make the cities prettier but in reality to cut off citizen's potential to access uncontrolled news coverage. Turkmenistan has dropped two places in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index since 2018.

After being asked the same question a second time, he said he recalled saying “No. I am in journalism. Covering national security. And homeland security. And with many of the same skills I used in the US Army as a public affairs officer. Some would argue that’s propaganda.”

The officer allegedly went on to ask him the same question a total of four times before Mr Watson responded “For the purposes of expediting this conversation, yes.” – at which point he was handed his passport back.

The journalist told his colleagues shortly afterwards: "I've honestly never had a human attempt to provoke me like this before in my life. This behaviour is totally normal now, I guess?”.

Mr Watson has since filed a civil rights complaint with the agency, with a spokesperson saying they were investigating an “allegation about an officer’s alleged inappropriate conduct at Washington Dulles International airport”.

It is not the first time border agents have challenged journalists under the Donald Trump's administration, with some claiming the disruption had echoed the language of the president who has repeatedly described the press as “enemies of the people”.

In February Buzzfeed reporter David Mack received an apology from a top Customs and Border Protection official after he was grilled for 10 minutes over the publication’s reporting on the president’s former lawyer Michael Cohen.

Mr Mack, an Australian citizen, said at the time: "He was 100% convinced Mueller had personally given a press conference calling us fake news and I had to politely assure him that didn’t happen while also not wanting to piss him off any further".

And in August British journalist James Dyer was stopped in Los Angeles by an agent who had asked if he was part of the “fake news media”.

He went on to ask if the Empire employee, who covers TV and film, had ever worked for CNN, MSNBC or others that were “spreading lies to the American people”.