White House bars AP reporter for third day in 'Gulf of America' flap

US President Donald Trump (Courtesy: Reuters photo)

The White House barred an Associated Press reporter from covering an open press conference with President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the third day its reporters have been blocked from covering the President.

"It is a plain violation of the First Amendment, and we urge the Trump administration in the strongest terms to stop this practice," the AP said Thursday in a statement.

The White House blocked AP from attending an event with Trump and adviser Elon Musk on Tuesday, in what the newswire described as punishment for refusing to adopt the president’s new "Gulf of America" label in its style guide.

"This is now the third day AP reporters have been barred from covering the president – first as a member of the pool, and now from a formal press conference – an incredible disservice to the billions of people who rely on the Associated Press for nonpartisan news," the wire service said.

The Associated Press is a permanent member of the so-called "pool" that provides around-the-clock coverage of the president. As a newswire, stories written by AP reporters are published in newspapers and on websites across the US and world.

The AP's style guide is also the basis for many broadcasting and news services, including Bloomberg News. In a January 23 guidance note, the agency said that the "Gulf of Mexico has carried that name for more than 400 years" and that the organization would "refer to it by its original name while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen."

The White House Correspondents Association, which represents hundreds of journalists covering the presidency, issued a statement Thursday evening calling on the White House to "immediately reverse course and restore access to AP journalists."

"Free speech and a free press are among the defining values of American democracy and must be preserved and protected," WHCA President Eugene Daniels said. "Our pool system is critical to ensure all of our members can cover the presidency, and prohibiting journalists from access because of their editorial decisions is viewpoint discrimination."

During the presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly barred media outlets from his events over their coverage. During his first term, Trump officials sought to strip press passes from reporters but relented after a federal court sided with members of the media.