Since last week, the White House has barred Associated Press (AP) reporters from press conferences and Air Force One, accusing the news agency of a “commitment to misinformation.” The ostensible reason for this is The AP’s decision to keep using “Gulf of Mexico” and not “Gulf of America” as Donald Trump has decreed. The agency has replied that the gulf is not all in US territorial waters and that other countries have not recognized the change of a name used for the past 400 years. In its reports and in the Stylebook which The AP provides its journalists (and anyone else interested), the agency notes Trump’s decision. This clash might appear unimportant, just more proof of Trump’s obsession with his prestige and issues of lesser importance. But the substance of the matter is hugely important. This is where we will see how far Trump can succeed in his attempt to impose his will on every aspect of politics and society, and whether there is any room to resist this conquest.
The AP is not just any news medium. It is a nonprofit cooperative which produces and distributes news, photographs, video, radio and television productions, among others, across the world, every minute of every day. It was established in 1848 by five New York newspapers and today has 235 offices in 94 countries and provides news and other content to some 1,300 information media. Even more important for Trump, though, is that throughout the United States and the world, The AP is a paradigm of trust and credibility. It is witness and memory. That’s why it is a red rag for Trump, who already controls Congress, state institutions, and, to a great extent, justice. “This isn’t just about the Gulf of America,” White House Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich told the news site Axios. “This is about AP weaponizing language through their Stylebook to push a partisan worldview in contrast with the traditional and deeply held beliefs of many Americans and many people around the world.” According to this view, The AP allegedly “shapes political dialogue by favoring liberal words and phrases concerning gender, immigration, race and law enforcement,” Axios reported.
The AP has denied the allegations. And it is easy to refute them. The credibility – and thereby the survival – of The AP relies on the fact that inside the United States and across the world, the agency provides material to media that are across the political spectrum. None of these would pay for news that they did not consider objective or credible. Also, the competition is merciless: Agencies keep a close watch on each other, just as customers/subscribers evaluate them daily. The effort to undermine The AP’s credibility is an attack on the very idea that news can be objective and reliable.