AP chief Julie Pace criticizes the ‘deeply troubling escalation’ in the conflict over Trump’s renaming of the Gulf of Mexico.
The administration of United States President Donald Trump has once more barred The Associated Press from attending a White House event amid an ongoing dispute regarding the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico, the news agency has reported.
On Thursday, the AP stated that the White House blocked one of its reporters from covering Trump’s press conference with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was visiting.
This incident followed previous exclusions of AP journalists from an executive order signing and the swearing-in ceremony of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.
AP Executive Editor Julie Pace characterized the action as a “deeply troubling escalation” in the Trump administration’s attempts to penalize the news organization for its editorial choices.
“This is a clear infringement of the First Amendment, and we strongly urge the Trump administration to cease this practice,” Pace remarked in a statement.
“This is now the third consecutive day that AP reporters have been prevented from covering the president – first as part of the pool, and now from a formal press conference – which is an incredible disservice to the millions who depend on The Associated Press for unbiased news.”
The AP and the Trump administration have been in conflict over the organization’s decision to maintain the use of “Gulf of Mexico” despite the president’s executive order last month aimed at changing its name to the “Gulf of America.”
The AP contends that continuing to use the original name is justified, as Trump’s order only holds authority within the US, while the gulf also partially falls within the territories of Mexico and Cuba.
On Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt asserted that the Trump administration would hold media organizations accountable for distributing “falsehoods.”
“It is a fact that the body of water off the coast of Louisiana is referred to as the Gulf of America. I’m unclear why news outlets refuse to use that name,” Leavitt stated, mentioning that the name had been updated in the official Geographic Names Server and acknowledged by private companies like Apple and Google.
Eugene Daniels, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, condemned the Trump administration’s recent decision to deny the AP access as “outrageous” on Thursday.
“The government’s attempt to censor a free press poses a threat to journalists executing their duties without bias for the American public,” Daniels expressed in a statement.
“This is a clear violation not only of the First Amendment but also of the president’s own executive order concerning freedom of speech and the cessation of federal censorship. We again urge the White House to promptly reverse this course and restore access to AP journalists.”
