AP journalists denied access to the Oval Office of the White House

^{Photo: AP}
The Associated Press (AP) staff has been banned from the Oval Office and the US President's Air Force One. This was reported on Friday, February 14, by Taylor Budovich, deputy chief of staff for communications and human resources, on the social network X.

The decision was made because the AP refused to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America in its publications. "The Associated Press continues to ignore the legal geographical name change for the Gulf of America," Budovich said, accusing the agency of "misinformation."

"Their right to report irresponsible and unfair reporting is protected by the First Amendment, but that does not give them unfettered access to restricted areas like the Oval Office and the president's plane," he added.

Meanwhile, Associated Press reporters and photographers will retain access to the White House complex, the deputy chief of staff said.

“Trump administration punishes AP for independent reporting”

The Associated Press’s executive editor Julie Pace called the move by US President Donald Trump’s administration unacceptable.

“It is troubling that the Trump administration is punishing AP for independent reporting,” Pace said. “Restricting our access to the Oval Office based on AP’s coverage not only seriously impedes the public’s access to independent news, it also clearly violates the First Amendment,” she continued.

“The AP Stylebook is not just used by the agency. The AP Stylebook is used by thousands of journalists and other writers around the world,” the agency’s editors said.

“As a global news agency that delivers news around the world, AP must ensure that geographic names are easily recognizable to all audiences,” they concluded.

The AP news agency was founded in New York in May 1846. In 2023, The Associated Press journalists won two Pulitzer Prizes for their coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Follow “Zamin” news on “Telegram”