White House bars AP reporter from event over naming gulf

NEW YORK — The White House blocked an Associated Press reporter from an event in the Oval Office on Tuesday after demanding the news agency alter its references to the Gulf of Mexico, which US President Donald Trump has ordered to be renamed the Gulf of America.

The reporter, whom the AP would not identify, tried to enter the White House event as usual on Tuesday afternoon and was turned away. Later, a second AP reporter was barred from a late-evening event at the White House Diplomatic Room.

The highly unusual ban, which Trump administration officials had threatened earlier on Tuesday unless the AP changed its references to the gulf, could have constitutional free-speech implications.

Julie Pace, the AP's senior vice-president and executive editor, said the administration's move was unacceptable and "plainly violates the First Amendment".

The Trump administration made no immediate announcements about the moves, and there was no indication any other journalist was affected.

Before his Jan 20 inauguration, Trump announced plans to rename the Gulf of Mexico as "Gulf of America" — and signed an executive order to do so as soon as he was in office. Mexico's president responded sarcastically and others noted that the name change would probably not affect global usage.

Besides the United States, the body of water — named the Gulf of Mexico for more than 400 years — also borders Mexico.

The AP said last month, three days after Trump's inauguration, that it would continue to refer to the gulf as Gulf of Mexico while noting Trump's decision to rename it. As a global news agency that disseminates news around the world, the AP says it must ensure that names of places and geography are easily recognizable to all audiences.

AP style is not only used by the agency. The AP Stylebook is relied on by thousands of journalists and other writers globally.

Barring the AP reporter was an affront to the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which bars the government from impeding the freedom of the media, said Tim Richardson, program director of journalism and disinformation for PEN America.

The White House Correspondents' Association called the White House move unacceptable and urged the administration to change course.

This week, Google Maps began using "Gulf of America", saying it had a "long-standing practice" of following the US government's lead on such matters. The other leading online map provider, Apple Maps, was still using "Gulf of Mexico" earlier on Tuesday but by early evening had changed to "Gulf of America" on some browsers.

Agencies via Xinhua