The AP keeps deadnaming the Gulf of America, so Trump's White House decided it had had enough, and now the news organization has lost "unfettered access" to the Oval Office and Air Force One.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich has the MO:
This comes after the AP was barred from attending an executive order signing on Tuesday for the same reason.
At the time, AP released this statement:
As a global news organization, The Associated Press informs billions of people around the world every day with factual, nonpartisan journalism.
Today we were informed by the White House that if AP did not align its editorial standards with President Donald Trump's executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, AP would be barred from accessing an event in the Oval Office. This afternoon AP's reporter was blocked from attending an executive order signing.
It is alarming that the Trump administration would punish AP for its independent journalism. Limiting our access to the Oval Office based on the content of AP's speech not only severely impedes the public's access to independent news, it plainly violates the First Amendment.
As for AP's guidance on the Gulf of America:
The Gulf of Mexico has carried that name for more than 400 years. The Associated Press will refer to it by its original name while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen. As a global news agency that disseminates news around the world, the AP must ensure that place names and geography are easily recognizable to all audiences.
The AP regularly reviews its style guidance regarding name changes, in part to ensure its guidance reflects common usage. We'll continue to apply that approach to this guidance and make updates as needed.
Ladies and gentlemen, I have to remind you here that, yes, this is the real world, and yes, these are the things worth reporting on in that real world.
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