The Associated Press agency published a statement by executive editor Julie Pace, accusing the Trump administration of violating the First Amendment of the US Constitution on freedom of speech. This happened after the publication's reporter was not allowed to attend an official event.
«Today, the White House informed us that if AP does not align its editorial standards with President Donald Trump's order to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the American Gulf, then AP will be denied access to the Oval Office event. This afternoon, an AP reporter was prohibited from attending the signing of the order.
It is alarming that the Trump administration is punishing AP for independent journalism. Restricting our access to the Oval Office based on the content of AP's speech not only seriously hinders the public's access to independent news but also clearly violates the First Amendment,» the statement said.
The agency also explained why it uses the old name of the gulf, renamed by Trump: this body of water has shared borders between the US and Mexico, the president's order is only valid within the United States, Mexico, as well as other countries and international organizations, are not obliged to recognize the name change.
«The Gulf of Mexico has borne this name for over 400 years. Associated Press will call it by its original name, while acknowledging the new name chosen by Trump. As a global news agency disseminating news worldwide, AP must ensure that geographical names are easily recognizable to all audiences,» the journalists stated, noting that they use the new name of Mount Denali, which Trump renamed to Mount McKinley, as it is entirely within the US territory and «the president has the authority to change federal geographical names.»
Associated Press is one of the largest and most influential news agencies in the world. Founded in 1846 in the USA, its headquarters is located in New York. AP journalists work in more than 100 countries.