AP as Fourth Estate abused for political calculations

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Since declaring independence in 1776, the U.S. has been proudly preaching the "freedom of speech." "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assembly, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances," the First Amendment states.

But in reality, the U.S. has been contrary to these principles.

"We're holding them (Associated Press journalists) out of any news conferences now," U.S. President Donald Trump announced this month.

The reason is simple: AP, disregarding Trump's executive order in January to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, continues to refer to the body of water by its original name. To coerce journalists into using the U.S. government's vocabulary, Trump threatened "to keep them (AP reporters) out until such time as they agree that it is the Gulf of America."

The press, according to the U.S. Constitution, has the right to choose its words. The White House, by blocking insubordinate journalists from the Oval Office and Air Force One, is trampling upon the editorial integrity and independence of the press.

"This targeted attack on the AP's editorial independence and ability to gather and report the news strikes at the very core of the First Amendment," the news agency said.

AP has its editorial reasons to refer to the Gulf of Mexico by its original name. To begin with, having carried its name for more than 400 years and is more recognizable than Trump's proposed Gulf of America to audiences across the world.

In addition, while Trump can change the name for the American portion of the water, the U.S. President has no right to dictate what the rest of the world calls the body of water stretching into Mexico. "For us, it is still the Gulf of Mexico, and for the entire world, it is still the Gulf of Mexico," Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum responded to Trump's endeavor of rewriting the map.

According to Mexico, the U.S. cannot legally change the Gulf's name because the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea dictates that an individual country's sovereign territory only extends up to 12 nautical miles out from the coastline.

AP, as an independent global news organization, has the right and reasons to choose its words, and such editorial decisions should be protected under the law. The White House, blocking AP from news conferences in an attempt to coerce it into acting by Trump's will, is blatantly violating the very freedom of speech that the U.S. has boasted about since its founding.

More regrettably, a federal judge – a Trump appointee – on Monday denied AP's request to restore its full access to White House events after the news organization sued three Trump administration officials over the issue. Apparently, the U.S. government, loudly proclaiming freedom and fairness, is stretching its power not only over the press — the Fourth Estate — but also over the judiciary.

For the Trump administration, achieving its own goal carries much more weight than common values and the principle of separation of powers. In American politicians' eyes, the press, instead of serving as the Fourth Estate to check to government and inform the public, is treated as a tool for political gains.

It is worth noting that, apart from AP, other mainstream news organizations, including The Washington Post and The New York Times, have not switched to Trump's preferred name, yet only AP has been targeted. The strong influence of AP's stylebook, which is used as a standard among journalists across the world, explains the focus on the news agency. By forcing AP to adopt the new name, the Trump administration is attempting to use the AP Stylebook to advance and promote its political agenda to the world.

For American politicians, exploiting the press for political gains is the primary consideration. Freedom of speech, despite being enshrined in the Constitution, has repeatedly been exposed as an empty promise designed to deceive the public.

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