The AP says Trump blocking its reporter from Oval Office over not ...

The Associated Press pushed back against the Trump administration on Tuesday after one of its reporters was blocked from an event over the news organization's guidance on its continued use of the "Gulf of Mexico" in its coverage, calling the move a violation of the First Amendment.

The White House demanded early Tuesday that the AP alter its style guidance to use the name Gulf of America versus using the Gulf of Mexico, AP executive editor Julie Pace said in a statement. President Trump renamed the body of water to the Gulf of America through an executive order last month. Later on Tuesday, Pace said the White House stopped an AP reporter from attending Mr. Trump's executive order signing in the Oval Office.

"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," Pace said.

When asked Wednesday which White House official made the decision to bar the AP reporter, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, "It's a privilege to cover this White House." 

"Nobody has the right to go into the Oval Office and ask the president of the United States questions. That's an invitation that is given and there are hundreds of outlets on this campus, many of you in this room, who don't have the privilege of being part of that pool every single day and getting to ask the president questions," she said.

Oftentimes when covering the White House, there are pool reporters who are selected to cover an event on behalf of a larger group of media outlets. It's not unusual that a select group of reporters is allowed inside the Oval Office. 

What's atypical is barring a reporter over language that the administration wants the news outlet to use.

"Punishing journalists for not adopting state-mandated terminology is an alarming attack on press freedom," the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a nonprofit which advocates for First Amendment protections, said in response to the White House's action. "That's viewpoint discrimination, and it's unconstitutional. President Trump has the authority to change how the U.S. government refers to the Gulf. But he cannot punish a news organization for using another term."

Leavitt on Wednesday said, "It is a fact that the body of water off the coast of Louisiana is called the Gulf of America and I'm not sure why news outlets don't want to call it that, but that is what it is." She added, "It's very important to this administration that we get that right, not just for people here at home, but also for the rest of the world."

The AP's style guide, which many newsrooms across the country follow, published an update on Jan. 23, two days after the president signed his executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico, noting that Mr. Trump's order only carries authority within the United States and other countries do not have to recognize the change.

"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," the guidance reads.

In his executive order, Mr. Trump also reverted the name of North America's tallest peak in Alaska, Denali, back to Mount McKinley. The AP's guidance says that it will be referring to it as Mount McKinley.

"The area lies solely in the United States and as president, Trump has the authority to change federal geographical names within the country," AP wrote.

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