Gulf of… What do some news organizations have to say?
The White House barred an Associated Press reporter from an Oval Office event on Tuesday after demanding the news agency change its style on the Gulf of Mexico, which President Donald Trump has ordered renamed the Gulf of America.
The reporter, whom the AP did not identify, attempted to attend the event as usual Tuesday afternoon but was turned away. Later, a second AP reporter was also blocked from a late-evening event in the White House’s Diplomatic Reception Room.
The highly unusual ban, which Trump administration officials had threatened earlier in the day unless the AP altered its style, could have implications for constitutional free speech.
Joshua Benton, a senior writer and former director of Nieman Lab Harvard University, reached out to 15 major news organizations to see what their style would be going forward. Below are the responses from those who’ve gotten back to him to date. Here is a link to his full story.
Associated Press: Gulf of Mexico
Amanda Barrett, AP’s vice president of standards and inclusion, issued the wire service’s guidance on January 23:
The Gulf of Mexico has carried that name for more than 400 years. The Associated Press will refer to it by its original name while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen. As a global news agency that disseminates news around the world, the AP must ensure that place names and geography are easily recognizable to all audiences.
The AP regularly reviews its style guidance regarding name changes, in part to ensure its guidance reflects common usage. We’ll continue to apply that approach to this guidance and make updates as needed.
There are other examples where the AP refers to a geographical place by more than one name. For example, the Gulf of California is sometimes referred to as the Sea of Cortez. The U.S. government has designated that body of water as the Gulf of California, while Mexico recognizes it as the Sea of Cortez.
AP’s style decisions are, of course, the default for a large share of mainstream U.S. news organizations.
Bloomberg: Gulf of Mexico
Bloomberg will be following the AP, whose style decisions, this story notes, form “the basis for many broadcasting and news services, including Bloomberg News.”
The New York Times: Gulf of Mexico
From a Times spokesperson: “The Times takes many factors into consideration when dealing with disputed geographical names, and we reflect settled, common usage in our journalism. In the case of the gulf, it is an international body of water that has been known as the Gulf of Mexico for several hundred years. We will continue to follow common usage in updating our style guidance, like we have done in the past with other areas of the world. We’ll continue to cover the news of the President’s executive order fairly and in service of our audiences, and will refer to ‘Gulf of America’ when needed for reader context.”
Reuters: Gulf of Mexico
Most news organizations, including Reuters, call it the Gulf of Mexico although, where relevant, Reuters style is to include the context about Trump’s executive order.
The Washington Post: Gulf of Mexico “in most contexts”
The Post has also decided to continue using the name Gulf of Mexico “in most contexts” because the body of water “is not solely within the United States’ jurisdiction and the name Gulf of America might confuse global readers,” according to a style guidance.
Los Angeles Times: Gulf of Mexico
From Ruthanne Salido, assistant managing editor of the multiplatform desk and co-chair of the standards and practices committee: “It simply comes down to the American president’s lack of authority to rename geographic points that lie outside U.S. boundaries and territories.”
Here’s how a newsroom memo put it: “As for the Gulf of Mexico vs. the Gulf of America, the U.S. president does not have the authority to rename the gulf. So we’ll stick with Gulf of Mexico. There’s no need to mention the ‘alternative name at this point unless, of course, that’s the point of the story,’ News copy desk manager John Penner notes.”
USA Today/Gannett: Both
A spokesperson said Gannett newspapers “will continue to use both references to provide clarity and accuracy for readers. For example: ‘The Gulf of Mexico, now referred to as the Gulf of America by the U.S. government…’”
Here’s a recent example from Gannett’s Jackson (Miss.) Clarion-Ledger: “After all, it’s not every day people living along the Gulf of America, more commonly known in the U.S. as the Gulf of Mexico, experience snow.”
The Atlantic: Gulf of Mexico
From an internal memo Wednesday morning:
As you are probably aware, the White House blocked an Associated Press reporter from attending an Oval Office event yesterday, because the AP has not changed its style guide to accept Trump’s demand that the Gulf of Mexico be called the “Gulf of America.”
We share the AP’s alarm over this clear affront to the First Amendment. We also share its rationale for continuing to use “Gulf of Mexico”: This is the internationally recognized name for an internationally controlled body of water, one that has been accepted for more than 400 years. Our obligation is to reflect reality accurately.
We should, of course, acknowledge the dispute over the name wherever this information is appropriate and relevant to a story. We should, similarly, acknowledge the Trump administration’s threats to press freedom. And as ever, we will continue to evolve our style guide as language itself evolves.
The New Yorker: Gulf of Mexico
A magazine spokesperson told Joshua: “We’re going to follow AP guidance on this.”
