White House's AP ban is an attack on press freedom

One early casualty of President Donald Trump’s war of words over the Gulf of Mexico is freedom of the press.

The president barred The Associated Press from the Oval Office and Air Force One because the news agency took a principled stand by refusing to refer to the water body as the Gulf of America in its reporting. This came after the president issued an executive order changing the name that had been in place for 400 years.

The AP is based in New York City and provides stories to news outlets throughout the United States. But it also is a global news service, with client media around the world. The AP explained that calling the Gulf of Mexico by Trump’s preferred name would confuse its international readers and viewers. The AP noted that the agency "must ensure that place names and geography are easily recognizable to all audiences." Indeed, no other country acknowledges the renaming, which has no official bearing on international boundaries.

Mexico claims 49% of the Gulf of Mexico’s waters; the U.S., 46%; and Cuba, 5%. Trump’s unilateral attempt to rename the water body runs roughshod over global maritime boundaries.

In its guidance to editors and reporters worldwide, the AP also noted that while the Gulf of Mexico name would be retained, Trump's change also should be acknowledged in reporting. Trump was unmoved, though, saying recently that his decision to ban the AP was indefinite.

The AP's decision was not arbitrary. The news service does not dispute Trump’s right to change the name of Denali peak in Alaska back to Mount McKinley, because the mountain — North America’s tallest — lies entirely within U.S. borders. In 2015, President Barack Obama renamed Mount McKinley to Denali out of respect for Native Americans and their traditions, as well as the wishes of many Alaskans.

The AP's recognition of Trump’s right to change Denali’s name makes clear that the agency isn’t looking to stymie the president’s agenda. Rather, regarding the Gulf of Mexico, it is seeking to abide by international tradition and agreement in its reporting.

This case is a test for press freedom and for who controls the flow of information. If the president’s decision to ban the AP is allowed to stand in court, it likely will lead to further erosion of journalists’ access to the corridors of government, with other elected officials trying to bar reporters because they have written or broadcast displeasing stories, and to further attempts to intimidate reporters.

Already, Trump has said he will personally pick the White House press pool that accompanies him at events and on trips, another effort to manage media coverage of his administration by weeding out journalists whose coverage may not suit him, regardless of its accuracy and fairness.

This is why all Americans must support the AP.

Producing 400,000 stories a year, the agency enables millions of Americans to live their lives as well-informed citizens. To bar the AP from the Oval Office and Air Force One is an affront not only to press freedom, as enshrined in the Constitution, but to democracy itself.

The Press Club of Long Island joins its parent organization, the Society of Professional Journalists, in calling on President Trump to restore full access to the AP. Anything less would be un-American.

This guest essay was written by Hofstra University journalism professor Scott Brinton, a Press Club of Long Island board member and former club president, and reflects the views of the PCLI board.