AP Banned Indefinitely From White House Because It Won’t Write ‘Gulf of America’

The Associated Press (AP), one of the most trusted organizations for written and photo journalism, has been indefinitely banned from the White House and Air Force One because it hasn’t changed its stylebook entry for the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.

UPDATE 2/17: While the ban initially did not include photographers, both a reporter and a photojournalist were barred from boarding Air Force One over the weekend.

The AP was blocked from attending two of President Trump’s media availabilities earlier this week for this reason but today was informed its journalists were being indefinitely unilaterally banned, CNN reports. For now, AP photographers were not being included in this ban which is fortunate given their excellence and expertise at capturing great moments on camera.

“The Associated Press continues to ignore the lawful geographic name change of the Gulf of America. This decision is not just divisive, but it also exposes the Associated Press’ commitment to misinformation,” Taylor Budowich, the White House Deputy Chief of Staff and Cabinet Secretary claims on Twitter (grammar and spelling are direct quotes).

“While their right to irresponsible and dishonest reporting is protected by the First Amendment, it does not ensure their privilege of unfettered access to limited spaces, like the Oval Office and Air Force One. Going forward, that space will now be opened up to the many thousands of reporters who have been barred from covering these intimate areas of the administration. Associate Press journalists and photographers will retain their credentials to the White House complex.”

AP is one of the world’s largest news outlets — emphasis on the world. While the United States may have changed its naming convention for the body of water to the south of Texas, other countries in which the AP operates and reports do not acknowledge this change. As the United States is in the minority here, the AP still refers to it as the Gulf of Mexico while also noting President Trump’s decree that it be called the Gulf of America.

The AP, which has been a member of the White House “pool” of reporters since 1881, has signaled that it intends to challenge its exclusion through legal channels.

CNN reports that the WHCA, which represents the press corps, says that the action against the AP “is a textbook violation of not only the First Amendment, but the president’s own executive order on freedom of speech and ending federal censorship.”