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The Staff of The Associated Press, The Associated Press

National/International Reporting

Freedom of Speech (Gulf of Mexico)

DESCRIPTION

A month into President Donald Trump’s second term in office, a White House spokesperson told a correspondent for The Associated Press that, at the president’s behest, the AP would not be permitted into the Oval Office that day. The rationale: President Trump was displeased that the wire service, to avoid confusing its worldwide audience, had decided not to revise its style guidance for the Gulf of Mexico, despite the president’s executive order renaming the body of water the Gulf of America.

The White House went on to bar AP print reporters from covering the president in the Oval Office, on Air Force One, and at other White House events. The wire service tried to reach a resolution that would restore its access without compromising the principle of journalistic independence. When those efforts failed, the AP sued three White House officials. Allowing the Trump administration to restrict its constitutionally-protected speech, AP said, “is a threat to every American’s freedom.”

The AP has maintained its rigorous coverage of the Trump Administration, even in the midst of litigation and with restricted access for its print reporters. Its case is pending before a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C.

JUDGES CITATION

For defending the fundamental First Amendment principle that journalists have a right to speak freely, without fear of control or retaliation by government officials

AWARDS CEREMONY