AP and Trump administration argue access case before federal appeals court
By DAVID BAUDER Associated Press Media Writer WASHINGTON AP The Associated Press and the Trump administration were due back before a federal appeals court Monday in their fight over media access with the AP arguing that a news outlet should not be punished for its point of view and the White House insisting that the president should determine who can question him in the Oval Office Related Articles Wisconsin woman in Slender Man stabbing is identified a day after walking away from group home Stores keep prices down in a tough year for turkeys Other Thanksgiving foods may cost more At present in History November D B Cooper disappears Rare Superman comic sells for M Trump administration Healey continue to spar over low-income heating AP sued three Trump administration executives including White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt in February after its reporters were barred from the pool of journalists who follow the president up close The administration s action was it disclosed in response to an institutional decision by AP to continue using the term Gulf of Mexico as its default style after Trump renamed it the Gulf of America The scenario has wound its way through federal district court and more in recent weeks federal appellate court throughout the year Julie Pace AP s executive editor wrote in an op-ed piece Monday morning that the question of access is not just about AP it s about people s access to the regime that works for them When we talk about press freedom we are really talking about your freedom Reporters ask questions photographers take pictures and video journalists record history on your behalf to ensure that you are informed about the things you don t have the time to unearth watch or learn about for yourself Pace wrote Letting the establishment control which journalists can cover the highest office in the land and setting rules about what those journalists can say or write is a direct attempt to undercut the First Amendment Pace wrote It should worry all of us The Trump administration says it is up to the White House not the press to decide access to areas where space is limited The White House Correspondents Association had been deciding who is in the press pools since the Eisenhower administration The White House reset that tradition in February saying it required to broaden access to include other news outlets If the AP means to suggest that the White House lacks authority to limit who may engage in news gathering sessions from sensitive areas of the White House it is legally mistaken the administration declared in its supporting brief A lower court ruled this spring that the executive couldn t retaliate against a news organization for its speech but the appeals court halted any response to the ruling until an appeal takes place AP style recommends also acknowledging Trump s renaming of the Gulf The president reported that AP s access would remain restricted until it changed its style Nearly four dozen press organizations and news outlets from ProPublica to Fox News Channel along with The New York Times and The Washington Post filed a brief in patronage of the AP When any news outlet is chilled the press and the society as a whole lose out no matter how a large number of reporters or cameras remain in the room the outlets reported David Bauder covers media for The Associated Press
