International Desk //

The US news agency Associated Press (AP) filed a lawsuit against three Trump administration officials on Friday. They allege that AP journalists have been banned from covering the White House, Oval Office and Air Force One.

The Trump administration says the reason for banning AP journalists is that the news agency used the term ‘Gulf of America’ instead of the term ‘Gulf of Mexico’ in its report.

However, in a lawsuit filed in the District Court of Washington, AP claims that the ban violates the First and Fifth Amendments to the US Constitution. For this reason, the news agency has requested an urgent hearing and court intervention to declare the ban unconstitutional.

In this regard, AP’s lawyers said, ‘The American people have the right to choose their own words. Moreover, the government cannot punish anyone for it. The Constitution does not allow the government to establish control over freedom of expression.’

AP says that they have been excluded from press coverage of the Oval Office. As a result, millions of readers and viewers are being deprived of important press briefings and presidential speeches.

The defendants in the AP lawsuit include—

White House Chief of Staff Susan Wiles;

White House Press Secretary Carolyn Levitt; and

Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budovich;

Why was the AP banned?

The White House claims that the AP is still a legitimate news organization like any other media outlet. They made many, many mistakes during the last election. They spread misinformation. They spread misinformation about Trump, and they even misrepresented Trump.

How did this controversy start?

The Trump administration recently renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. However, the AP did not recognize the change and stated in its style guide that “the effect of this name change is only applicable within the United States. Mexico and other international organizations are not bound by this change.”

Trump’s response

Last Tuesday, President Donald Trump told reporters, “I will not let the AP into the Oval Office until they admit that this is the ‘Gulf of America’.”

He also said, “The AP is always spreading misinformation about Trump, the election and the Republicans. They are not doing us any favors, so I will not do them any favors. That is the reality.”

Controversy over press freedom

AP claims that this ban is a direct attack on press freedom and the right to expression.

This dispute between both sides has now reached the US courts. So, it remains to be seen what the verdict in this case will be. Source: Anadolu Agency

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