AP reporter barred from White House event over 'Gulf of America'

The Associated Press said Tuesday that its White House reporter was barred from an event with President Donald Trump over the top US news agency's refusal to follow his order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.

"We were informed by the White House that if AP did not align its editorial standards with President Donald Trump's executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, AP would be barred from accessing an event in the Oval Office," AP Executive Editor Julie Pace said.

"This afternoon AP's reporter was blocked from attending an executive order signing," Pace said in a statement.

In another executive order after taking office last month, Trump declared that the Gulf of Mexico would henceforth be called the "Gulf of America."

In the past the body of water, which also borders Mexico, has always been known by both governments as the Gulf of Mexico.

Trump called it an "indelible part of America" critical to US oil production and fishing and "a favorite destination for American tourism and recreation activities."

Pace, in her statement, said "it is alarming that the Trump administration would punish AP for its independent journalism."

"Limiting our access to the Oval Office based on the content of AP's speech not only severely impedes the public's access to independent news, it plainly violates the First Amendment," she said.

In a style note last month, AP said Trump's executive order "only carries authority within the United States."

"Mexico, as well as other countries and international bodies, do not have to recognize the name change," the AP said, adding that "the Gulf of Mexico has carried that name for more than 400 years."

"The Associated Press will refer to it by its original name while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen," the news agency said.

"As a global news agency that disseminates news around the world, the AP must ensure that place names and geography are easily recognizable to all audiences," it added.

The White House Correspondents' Association, which advocates for the media covering the US presidency, branded the barring of AP "unacceptable" and called on the Trump administration to "immediately change course."

"The White House cannot dictate how news organizations report the news, nor should it penalize working journalists because it is unhappy with their editors' decisions," WHCA head Eugene Daniels said in a statement.

Along with the Gulf of America, Trump also signed an executive order changing the name of the highest mountain in North America, Denali in Alaska, to Mount McKinley.

In that case, the AP said it would refer to Mount McKinley since it "lies solely in the United States and as president, Trump has the authority to change federal geographical names within the country."

The AP is the biggest US news agency and for years its Stylebook -- a compendium of the organization's rules for correct usage of grammar and language -- has been a go-to reference for newsrooms and corporate offices.

© Agence France-Presse