White House bars AP reporter from Oval Office over 'Gulf of America' stance

The White House has blocked a reporter from the Associated Press (AP) from attending an event in the Oval Office on Tuesday, after US government officials demanded the news agency refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America”.

A second reporter was refused entry at another event in the White House's Diplomatic Reception Room later in the day.

Earlier on Tuesday, US government officials threatened to impose a ban on the AP if the agency did not change its style guide on the Gulf of Mexico, which the agency did not.

Last month, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order changing the Gulf's name to the “Gulf of America”. The body of water, which sits besides the United States and borders Mexico, has carried the name “Gulf of Mexico” for more than 400 years.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the Trump administration's decision during a briefing with reporters on Wednesday, saying "we reserve the right to decide who gets into the Oval Office," adding that it was a "privilege to cover the White House".

There was no indication that any other journalists were affected.

“It is alarming that the Trump administration would punish AP for its independent journalism,” stated Julie Pace, AP's senior vice president and executive editor.

“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,” Pace added.

The White House Correspondents Association said the White House move was unacceptable and called on the administration to change course.

“The White House cannot dictate how news organisations report the news, nor should it penalise working journalists because it is unhappy with their editors' decision,” said Eugene Daniels, the association's president.

Google Maps began using “Gulf of America," just this week, saying it had a “longstanding practice” of following the US government’s lead on such matters.

The other leading online map provider, Apple Maps, switched to “Gulf of America" on some browsers Tuesday evening, while certain searches produced results for both.

Mexico’s president Claudia Sheinbaum responded to Trump's executive order with sarcasm earlier this month, proposing that North America should be renamed "América Mexicana," or "Mexican America."