The Associated Press was blocked from an occurrence in the Oval Office at the White House on Tuesday, following problems over the company using the Gulf of Mexico instead of the Gulf of America.
Earlier, President Donald Trump announced that February 9 would be the first” Gulf of America Day”, a move that came after an executive order that set in motion the process of changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico.
Since the President has asked to change the name, but the AP is also calling it Gulf of Mexico which irked the Trump presidency.
In a January 23 advice, AP said it would speak to the Gulf of Mexico” by its unique title while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen”.
” As a global media firm that disseminates information around the world, the AP must assure that place names and landscape are easily recognizable to all people”, it added.
Eventually, a second AP blogger was prevented from attending a later event in the White House’s Political Reception Room. This extraordinary restriction, which authorities had warned about before that time, raises concerns about legal free-speech rights.
AP’s senior vice president and executive director, Julie Pace, issued a statement condemning the president’s actions as unethical.
” It is alarming that the Trump administration would condemn AP for its independent media. Limiting our exposure to the Oval Office based on the content of AP’s statement not only significantly impedes the government’s access to independent media, it openly violates the First Amendment”, Pace said in a declaration.
The leadership remained silent about these steps, with no evidence of another editors being affected. This follows Trump’s story of anxiety with media sources. Recently, the presidency removed a next class of media companies from Pentagon office space.
Due to his January 20 opening, Trump revealed programs to name the Gulf of Mexico as the” Gulf of America” through an executive order. Mexico’s leader responded with irony, whilst others noted the change would probably not change global usage.
The Gulf of Mexico, named thus for over four centuries, borders both the United States and Mexico.
AP announced three days post-inauguration that it would maintain the Gulf of Mexico designation while acknowledging Trump’s renaming decision. As an international news organisation, AP emphasises the importance of using globally recognisable geographical names.
The AP Stylebook serves as a reference for journalists and writers worldwide, extending beyond the agency itself.
Tim Richardson, programme director of journalism and misinformation for PEN America, stated that barring AP reporters violated First Amendment press freedoms.
The White House Correspondents Association denounced the action and urged policy reversal.
” The White House cannot dictate how news organizations report the news, nor should it penalize working journalists because it is unhappy with their editors ‘ decision”, said Eugene Daniels, WHCA’s president.
Google Maps adopted” Gulf of America” citing their policy of following US government nomenclature. Apple Maps showed varying results, with some browsers displaying the new name while others showed both versions.
Trump also reversed the name of Alaska’s highest peak from Denali back to Mount McKinley, countering Barack Obama’s 2015 decision. AP agreed to use Mount McKinley, as it lies within US borders where Trump has naming authority.
