Associated Press announces to the White House that ban journalists as “shocking precedent” | Trump administration

The Associated Press executive editor sent a letter to the White House on Wednesday criticizing its decision to take two of its journalists at the news incident Tuesday after refusing to call the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of the United States.”

Julie Pace, the Associated Press executive editor, wrote in a letter to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.

“The question here is freedom of speech – the fundamental pillar of American democracy and the most important value to all Americans, regardless of political persuasion, career or industry.”

Pace said the White House banned the Associated Press from participating in two news events with Donald Trump on Tuesday, “After a clear complaint about the AP’s editorial decision about the Gulf of Mexico, President Trump renamed it to the United States. Bay”.

In a January guide update, the Associated Press said they will continue to mention the bodies of water bound to the United States and Mexico, “with its original name, while acknowledging that Trump chose a new name.”

The agency said Trump's order to change his name only contains power within the United States, and other countries, including Mexico, do not have to admit to changing his name.

“The Gulf of Mexico has been carrying a name for more than 400 years,” the Associated Press wrote.

Pace said at a meeting Tuesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told AP reporters that AP visits “if AP does not immediately align its editing standards with President Trump’s executive order.”

Pace said that when the Associated Press did not raise the bill, White House staff prevented an AP reporter from attending the Oval Office's executive order signing, and later another AP reporter attended a press conference in the diplomatic reception room.

“The White House’s actions were explicitly designed to punish the content of the speeches of the AP,” Pace wrote. “This is one of the most basic tenets of the First Amendment, that the government cannot retaliate against the public or the media with what they say.”

“This is based on editorial choices from news organizations and a clear violation of First Amendment views,” she added.

Pace said it was unclear whether the White House intends to continue to impose these access restrictions on AP journalists as of Wednesday and urged the administration to “end the practice.”

“The basic role of the press is to serve as the eyes and ears of the public,” she said, adding: “When journalists are blocked from working, it is the public in the United States that suffer.”

It also sets a “shocking precedent” that has the potential to affect every news outlet and then “severely limits the public's right to know what is going on within the government.”

She wrote that the Associated Press was “prepared to vigorously defend its constitutional rights and protest against violations of public rights to independent news coverage by its government and elected officials.”

Levitt was asked Wednesday which White House official decided to turn the Associated Press reporters out.

“It is an honor to cover this White House,” Levitt said, “No one has the right to enter the Oval Office and ask the President of the United States. This is the invitation given.”

“We reserve the right to decide who enters the Oval Office,” Leavitt told the press conference room.

“If we feel there are lies in the sockets in this room, we will hold those lies accountable, and it is the fact that the waters along the coast of Louisiana are called the American Bay, and I’m not sure why the news media don’t want to call them that, but this It's the fact.”

“It’s very important for this administration to do it right.”

The guardian has contacted the White House for additional comments.