(WASHINGTON)— PEN America released the following comment after President Trump blocked an Associated Press reporter from an executive order signing in the Oval Office because the AP maintained its usage of “Gulf of Mexico,” rather than adhering to Trump’s executive order renaming it the “Gulf of America.”
Tim Richardson, program director, Journalism & Disinformation, said: “Barring AP journalists from an official presidential event because of the news outlet’s editorial decisions is an affront to the First Amendment and a free press. It is retribution, plain and simple, and a shameful attempt to bully the press into ideological compliance.”
About PEN America
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. Learn more at pen.org.