


I have admired the Associated Press since my high school years. The thought of people “gallantly” traveling to places near and far to report on events both significant and mundane seemed both a privilege and responsibility. I especially admired AP because the writers worked so hard to be fair and thorough in their coverage.
Too me the AP is a bulwark against those who would lie, cheat and commit crimes against others, exposing people, institutions and governments seeking to get their own way.
So, in recent weeks, when President Trump first barred members of the Associated Press from the press briefing room and then from Air Force One because the agency wouldn’t rename the “Gulf of Mexico” the “Gulf of America,” I was appalled.
AP reporters and photographers travel with the president virtually everywhere as part of a press “pool” and have for decades. AP journalism serves millions of readers and thousands of news outlets around the world.
The AP reported that journalists consider the administration’s move a violation of the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment — a governmental attempt to dictate what a news company publishes under threat of retribution.
The Gulf of Mexico has been called that for hundreds of years and is recognized worldwide. AP, whose stylebook is used by news outlets as an arbiter of language and usage, advised that because of its broad set of global customers, it would both refer to the body of water as the Gulf of Mexico and also reference Trump’s order changing the name to the Gulf of America within the United States.
That’s actually a fair compromise.
At the same time, the AP switched its style last month in the renaming of Denali to Mount McKinley for the mountain in Alaska that Trump ordered renamed. It did so because that location lies entirely within the U.S.
That’s also a fair decision.
You have to understand I’m entirely on the side of AP. On my bookshelf are no fewer than 15 “AP Stylebooks” purchased over the years. They are my writing Bibles.
My first stylebook, bought while in college was a pamphlet of about 20 pages. The last stylebook — before they went digital — was over 500 pages. As a reporter and later editor, I was required to know every page; or at the very least where to look if I had a question.
I regularly administered style tests among the staff. To even get a job at the newspapers where I was in charge, an applicant had to get better than 90% on a 25-question style test.
So, I was angry after reading a statement from Taylor Budowich, White House deputy chief of staff, that the AP “continues to ignore the lawful geographic name change of the Gulf of America. This decision is not just divisive, but it also exposes The Associated Press’ commitment to misinformation.”
Someone hasn’t been reading their Orwell because such language is right out of “Nineteen Eighty-Four.”
Budowich added that while the First Amendment protects the AP’s “right to irresponsible and dishonest reporting,” it doesn’t ensure unfettered access to limited spaces like the Oval Office and Air Force One. He said AP would retain its credentials to the White House complex overall, but that’s an outright lie if AP staff can’t attend briefings or other events to get information.
So, it appears our nation’s leadership wants to kneecap an organization dedicated to keeping people informed about what’s happening in our country and the world.
Jim Smith is the former editor of The Daily Democrat, retiring in 2021 after a 27-year career at the paper.