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Associated Press Barred from Oval Office for Not Using 'Gulf of America'
- duxup 2y agoIt's wild how the internet rabble talking points were for so long about "snowflakes" and terms used, and by their definition the current administration seems to be that in spades.
- whoitwas 2y agoIt's not. They've always been huge hypocrites. They whine and are scared about everything. They're driven by fear, greed, or hate.
- aaronbrethorst 2y agoEvery accusation is a confession. https://imgur.com/t/every_accusation_is_a_confession https://imgur.com/t/every_accusation_is_a_confession
- greenchair 2y ago[flagged]
- toastercat 2y agoRemember when Chrissy Teigan called Trump a "pussy ass bitch" on Twitter, and he tried to get Twitter to remove it? [1] Ironic considering his/MAGA's insistence that the deep state were censoring conservative voices on social media. [1] https://www.npr.org/2023/02/08/1155491204/ex-twitter-officials-reject-gop-claims-of-government-collusion https://www.npr.org/2023/02/08/1155491204/ex-twitter-officia...
- ChrisMarshallNY 2y agoHere's the actual AP article on it: https://apnews.com/article/trump-ap-journalism-first-amendment-8a83d8b506053249598e807f8e91e1ae https://apnews.com/article/trump-ap-journalism-first-amendme...
- goplayoutside 2y agoAn here's AP's statement about the administration's response: https://www.ap.org/the-definitive-source/announcements/ap-statement-on-oval-office-access/ https://www.ap.org/the-definitive-source/announcements/ap-st...
- ranger_danger 2y agoThis is extremely dangerous to our democracy.
- jeffgreco 2y agoAgreed - the replacement of reporters at the Pentagon has been even worse. https://www.military.com/daily-news/2025/02/08/trump-administration-throwing-more-pentagon-reporters-out-of-their-workspaces.html https://www.military.com/daily-news/2025/02/08/trump-adminis...
- 9283409232 2y ago> CNN, The Washington Post, the Hill and War Zone will be asked to leave their spaces, with Newsmax, the Washington Examiner, the Daily Caller and the Free Press moving in, according to a memo from John Ullyot, acting assistant to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. These are all very right wing media outlets who in the best case will not press for the hard questions and in the worst case will out right lie for Trump.
- CamperBob2 2y agoI don't know how I'd sleep at night if I were Bezos. All of his pre-election poltroonery with the Post is going unrewarded. Or, rather, I can imagine how Bezos sleeps at night, but I don't know how I would.
- threecheese 2y agoNot sure either, but I imagine it’s hanging from his feet, wings folded for warmth.
- defrost 2y agoThere's sure to be recirculated replacement blood involved.
- 2y ago
- zug_zug 2y agoCurious if those who were incensed by “performative wokeness” have any insights to offer on this phenomenon… or if their anger around semantics only cuts one way Edit: feel free to downvote, but if you think you have a point other than hurt feelings do share
- spacephysics 2y agoOutside of maybe GIS update to maps, how is this relevant for HN? Seems like this will just entice political debate vs a tech discussion
- aaronbrethorst 2y agoFree speech seems to be a pretty popular topic on HN. https://hn.algolia.com/?q=free+speech https://hn.algolia.com/?q=free+speech
- 9283409232 2y agoHN is not exclusively for tech discussion and the more technology and politics merge as we head into this techno-fascist era, post like this will likely happen more often.
- mdp2021 2y ago1) The point of this resource should be to gather people attracted by intellectual curiosity (not just «tech discussion»); 2) This resource is quite relevant to people who operate on the real world - which we have to know adequately to operate in
- shipscode 2y agoHN (or users?) seem to allow these kind of stories when they swing one way. Hence why they let the DOGE kid article and suppressed the A16z Daniel Penny story.
- themaninthedark 2y agoI would say that a private firm hiring a private individual doesn't make the cut for news unless they are hired for a public facing role. The DOGE kid is working in government, doing (controversial)things that are affected a substantial portion of the U.S. population. Should we follow those who we don't like through their lives and report on who has hired them and into what positions? Perhaps we should make them wear a large red A?
- nickthegreek 2y ago
- xqcgrek2 2y ago[flagged]
- elaus 2y agoI have not seen any claims that this move is against the law?
- TheAceOfHearts 2y agoFrom the AP article: > “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.” It certainly has a chilling effect, if the president can apply arbitrary limitations on news agencies just because they refuse to comply with specific naming orders.
- hn_acker 2y agoAs mentioned in the article, an executive editor of the Associated Press itself argues that the move is a First Amendment violation. As I wrote in a different comment: Whenever holding press conferences in the Oval Office, the government creates a nonpublic forum [1] and invokes freedom of the press (because a news organization who is allowed to attend should be able to share what happened). The government can deny a news organization entry based on the subject of the speech (e.g. no reporting about the Gulf of Mexico/America, regardless of the name used) but cannot deny entry based on the news organization's viewpoint (e.g. thinking that Gulf of Mexico is the more appropriate name allowed, thinking that Gulf of America is the more appropriate name not allowed). I can't reply to GP directly, but I'd like to directly address an assertion that GP made: > The AP has no right to the Oval Office. They are not an elected entity nor have any legal standing. The AP has no right to the Oval Office in the absolute sense, but if the government allows some news organizations (at least 1) into the Oval Office for press conferences then the criteria for allowing news organizations must not discriminate based on viewpoint. So long as AP meets the criteria that obey the First Amendment, then AP is entitled to enter the Oval Office for press conferences. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forum_(legal)#Nonpublic_forums https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forum_(legal)#Nonpublic_forums
- ianbicking 2y agoI had seen about Google Maps and "Gulf Of America" and couldn't quite believe it was true, so I kept loading it up, seeing if they really just decided to lick Trump's boots. Today it for the first time it showed up for me: https://www.google.com/maps/@26.0798665,-85.4166342,4353858m https://www.google.com/maps/@26.0798665,-85.4166342,4353858m
- Volundr 2y agoFree speech for me but not for thee.
- vfclists 2y agoWell there is a distinction between "Gulf of the United States of America" and "Gulf of America". Calling it "Gulf of America" does not equate it to "Gulf of the United States of America" which is what Trump probably wants, but he is too stupid to realize the difference. He just deprived the Gulf of its association with Mexico without truly associating with the US. Why doesn't he go all the way and call for New Mexico to be renamed to New America though? I wouldn't put it past him. Do some white people think these petty attitudes will restore the former industrial glory of the US? Is he miffed at the Gulf referring to a country of mostly Latinos/Hispanics rather than White people? Is this guy just racist or petty/both? The citizens of the US should be ashamed of themselves for voting him in as President, though truth be said their political system doesn't give them much of choice. In any case what choice is there between an GOP apple and Democrat pear if they are both rotten?
- mdp2021 2y agoThe continents, I understand, are the "Americas" - use adopted to disambiguate, since the anglosphere soon started using 'America' for its colonies there. Vespucci spoke of the "New World" (at the time, 1504, only South America), the first one to say "that's really not India" - so Martin Waldseemueller called the continent "America" (1507). Edgar Allan Poe had some irritation about the matter: > It is a thousand pities that the puny witticisms of a few professional objectors should have the power to prevent, even for a year, the adoption of a name for our country. At present we have, clearly, none. There should be no hesitation about “Appalachia”. In the first place, it is distinctive. “America” is not, and can never be made so. We may legislate as much as we please, and assume for our country whatever name we think right — but to use it will be no name, to any purpose for which a name is needed, unless we can take it away from the regions which employ it at present. South America is “America”, and will insist upon remaining so
- pb7 2y agoMaybe it has nothing to do with race.
- themaninthedark 2y agoThis entire thing is stupid; Trump for renaming it and everyone else for making a big deal about it. I don't think the AP should be bared for not using the new name, however I also don't think it is a freedom of speech issue, if so they would sue.
- Volundr 2y agoIt's literally the government directly punishing a member of the press for their speech. What's the bar for a "free speech" issue in your mind?
- themaninthedark 2y agoAre they being fined or imprisoned? No. What is happening is they are not being given a spot during briefings. From my understanding, the definition of "The Press" is quite large and allows many entities, since it is impossible for all of them to be physically present there has to be a mechanism for deciding who is present and not.
- mdp2021 2y agoAP is very far from being a small actor in the press. And, you are missing the continent-size point: what would be the discriminator to keep some in and some out? > a big deal about it It is a very big deal. Some party introduces a local convention while he rest of the world uses another one. With very dire consequences in terms of relation (it's divisive internally and externally, and creates embarrassments).
- Volundr 2y ago> Are they being fined or imprisoned? No. Under this bar, everything Twitter and Facebook have done, and any meddling the government may have done in those ecosystems, isn't a Free Speech Issue. Considering the very administration now taking this action called being banned from Twitter a violation of their free speech these look like some pretty mobile goalposts. > From my understanding, the definition of "The Press" is quite large and allows many entities, since it is impossible for all of them to be physically present there has to be a mechanism for deciding who is present and not. 100% true! But surely you can see how "does the government like your speech?" being part of that mechanism is clearly a Free Speech issue, even if you assume it is legal? Remember, this is the Government. It's not like it's Trump disinviting them from his house because they hurt his feelings.