The White House blocked an Associated Press reporter from an event in the Oval Office on Tuesday after demanding the news agency alter its style on the Gulf of Mexico, which President Donald Trump has ordered renamed the Gulf of America.
The reporter, whom the news agency would not identify, tried to enter the White House event as usual Tuesday afternoon and was turned away.
The agency said the highly unusual ban, which Trump administration officials had threatened earlier Tuesday unless the AP changed the style on the Gulf, could have constitutional free-speech implications.
Julie Pace, senior vice president and executive editor of The Associated Press, called the administration's move unacceptable.
"It is alarming that the Trump administration would punish AP for its independent journalism," Pace said in a statement. "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."
The Trump administration made no immediate announcements about the move, and there was no indication any other journalists were affected.
Before his January 20 inauguration, Trump announced plans to change the Gulf of Mexico's name to the "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 White House Correspondents Association called the White House move unacceptable and called on the administration to change course.
"The White House cannot dictate how news organisations report the news, nor should it penalise working journalists because it is unhappy with their editors' decision," said Eugene Daniels, WHCA's president.
