The White House perpetually prohibits Associated Press due to their usage of 'Gulf of Mexico'.
Title: The White House's Controversial Move Against AP Over Gulf Naming Dispute
In a significant turn of events, the White House has singled out the Associated Press (AP) for boycotting presidential events and denying them access to Air Force One, all due to a naming dispute over the Gulf of Mexico.
President Donald Trump introduced a new name for the body of water – the "Gulf of America" – in an executive order last month. However, this name is not globally recognized, and the AP, which serves clients around the world, has stuck to the traditional and internationally recognized label "Gulf of Mexico."
This disagreement led the White House to bar AP reporters from presidential events. Curiously, photographers for the AP were still granted entry. The restriction against AP journalists was confirmed just before President Trump's departure to Mar-a-Lago on Friday, with the administration emphasizing that the AP's stance was "divisive" and "exposed the Associated Press' commitment to misinformation."
However, this move has upset press freedom advocates and other news organizations. They argue that the White House's actions amount to a violation of the First Amendment and represent a form of censorship and intimidation.
In fact, the White House Correspondents Association (WHCA), which represents the press corps, has denounced the action as a "textbook violation of not only the First Amendment, but the president’s own executive order on freedom of speech and ending federal censorship."
It remains to be seen how the AP will respond to this situation, but one of their staff members boldly stated that "it's hard to come up with a clearer case of viewpoint discrimination." With the ban in place, there may be adjustments to the pool rotation, which determines which outlets have access to the White House.
This incident raises concerns over the freedom of the press and the potential for government interference in journalistic decision-making. As the situation continues to unfold, it will be fascinating to witness the response from both the AP and the White House.
The business relationship between the White House and the Associated Press (AP) has taken a turns due to the naming dispute, with the media outlet refusing to use the President's preferred name "Gulf of America." The AP's stance on this matter has been labeled as "divisive" and "expos[ing] the Associated Press' commitment to misinformation" by the White House. Franklin Delano Roosevelt's political party, the Democrats, have also weighed in on the issue, with a Democratic spokesperson stating that the White House's actions are a "shocking misuse of power."
