The White House barred a reporter from the Associated Press from covering an event due to the news agency’s editorial style.

AP revealed this on Wednesday.

AP said the White House warned that if it did not align its editorial style with U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, the agency would be barred from accessing an event in the Oval Office.

A reporter was subsequently blocked from attending an executive order signing, AP executive editor Julie Pace said in a statement.

“It is alarming that the Trump administration would punish AP for its independent journalism,” she said. “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 White House Correspondents’ Association said the move to bar a reporter from an event was unacceptable.

“The White House cannot dictate how news organisations report the news, nor should it penalise working journalists because it is unhappy with their editors’ decisions,” it said in a post on X. “The WHCA stands with The Associated Press and calls on the administration to immediately change course.”

Mr Trump ordered the relabelling in honour of “American greatness” shortly after coming into office in January.

In response, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said, “For us, it will continue to be the Gulf of Mexico, and for the entire world, it will continue to be the Gulf of Mexico.”

(dpa/NAN)