CPJ denounces Trump administration's action against AP

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21 Feb 2025 -The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemned the White House decision to block The Associated Press (AP) from covering official events after AP’s decision to refer to the Gulf of Mexico by its internationally known name, calling the action the latest in an alarming pattern of retaliation against a free press in the first weeks of Donald Trump’s administration.

“Retaliating against AP – one of the world’s leading providers of fact-based news – for its content undermines the U.S. president’s stated commitment to free speech and prevents its audience in the U.S. and abroad from getting the news,” said CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg. “These actions follow a pattern of smearing and penalizing the press from the current administration and are unacceptable.”

This decision is the latest in an alarming pattern of retaliation against a free press in the first weeks of Donald Trump’s administration which include retaliatory lawsuits, punitive action by the Federal Communications Commission, the suspension of U.S. Agency for International Development funding, as well as targeted attacks against journalists and news organizations.

Last week, CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg also wrote an opinion column for the Guardian highlighting the need for media solidarity in the face of the administration’s efforts to stifle reporting. “If vital media institutions are to survive this administration, it will be because essential media, on all sides, stand up clearly and unequivocally for the right to report the news,” wrote Ginsberg.