The White House said telecom agency’s stance on how to refer to the Gulf of Mexico was due to exclusion, a photo with Associated Press reporter allowed to board a presidential plane on Friday for a weekend trip The house was banned.
It represents a serious escalation by the White House in a four-day dispute with the Associated Press over access to the president.
The administration blocked the AP from covering just a handful of events at the White House this week, including press conferences with Indian leaders and several times in the oval office. That’s all because news outlets haven’t followed Trump’s lead in renaming waters that are partially located in the “Gulf of America” outside of US territory.
Associated Press reporters and photographers have traveled virtually everywhere with the president as part of the press “pool” and have been around for decades. AP Journalism serves millions of readers and thousands of news outlets around the world.
Journalists consider the administration’s moves a violation of the first amendment to the US Constitution. This is a government attempt to direct what news companies will make public under the threat of retaliation. The Trump administration said the Associated Press does not have special access to events with limited space, particularly given the news service’s “commitment to misinformation.”
The AP calls the assertion not entirely true.
“Free speech is the pillar of American democracy and is a core value for the American people. The White House said it supports these principles,” said Associated Press spokesperson Lauren. Easton said Friday night. “An action taken to limit coverage of the Associated Press event, due to the way in which it presents its geographical location with this important right set out in the US Constitution for all Americans.”
The waters in question have been called the Gulf of Mexico for hundreds of years. The AP, because of its wide global set of customers, both refer to the waters as the Gulf of Mexico, as its influential stylebook is being used by news outlets as language and usage arbitrators, and because of its broad set of customers, Trump’s order advises that you are referring to the US Gulf and name it.
At the same time, the AP switched style from Denali to Mount McKinley last month for the Alaska mountains that Trump renamed. The location is entirely within the jurisdiction of the United States.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budwich said on Friday’s X Post (later released as a White House statement) that the AP “continues to ignore changes in the US Gulf of law.” He said. Not only is the decision divisive, it also reveals the Associated Press’ commitment to misinformation. ”
The First Amendment protects the Associated Press’ “right to irresponsible and fraudulent reporting,” but does not guarantee free access to limited spaces like oval offices and the Air Force. Budowich said. He said the Associated Press will retain its qualifications throughout the White House complex.
On Friday, Associated Press Reporters and photographers traveled to Andrews’ joint base to join the travel reporter pool at Trump’s Florida residence. However, after clearing security, neither were allowed to board Air Force 1, but the decision they were told was “outlet specific.” Meanwhile, a presspool reporter who was allowed on the plane sent a photo of the card to an AP journalist, giving the empty seat a name saying “welcome.”
Other news organizations like The New York Times and the Washington Post say they primarily use the Gulf of Mexico. Fox News said it has switched to the US Gulf.
The White House Correspondents Association has issued a statement denounced the lawsuit against the Associated Press. The lectures are being given behind the scenes, but the individual news outlets were relatively quiet.
“We support the Associated Press by condemning repeated acts of retaliation by this administration due to editorial decisions that disagree, the Times said on Friday. was enshrined in the Constitution.”
In a statement, the Washington Post said that “access to the administration is at the heart of all journalistic organizations, including the Washington Post, and every day to millions of Americans in fact-based independent journalism. We will provide services.”
This issue has attracted international attention.
“We will never drive news agencies out of the prime minister’s press room,” said Friedrich, the top opposition leader in Germany and the frontline runner in polls ahead of the February 23 election. Meltz said. He spoke at a security meeting on Saturday in Munich, where US Vice President JD Vance and officials from the Top Trump administration were also present.
White House press chief Caroline Leavitt used the word “lie” when describing AP content on Wednesday, posting on X Friday afternoon about the executive order Trump signed before he left. She ended the post: “@AP was not invited.”
Source link
