Associated Press, Trump argue Oval Office access in federal appeals court

In their dispute over media access, the Associated Press (AP) and the Trump administration are now facing federal appeals court in the United States.

The White House insisted that the president should decide who can question him in the Oval Office, as The AP argued on Monday.

After its reporters were barred from the “pool” of journalists who follow the president up close, AP filed a lawsuit against three officials from the administration of US President Donald Trump in February, including White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

According to the administration, the move was in response to AP’s institutional decision to continue using the term “Gulf of Mexico” as its preferred style after Trump changed it to “Gulf of America.”

Throughout the year, the case has slog through federal appellate court and federal district court.

In an op-ed piece published on Monday morning, AP’s executive editor Julie Pace stated that people’s access to the government that benefits them is the key issue.

“We are actually talking about your freedom when we talk about press freedom.” Reporters inquire about what you know, photographers take pictures, and video journalists keep track of your history to make sure you are informed about what you don’t have time to discover, observe, or study,” Pace wrote.

According to Pace, “leting the government control who can hold the most important office in the country and establish guidelines for what those journalists can say or write are direct attempts to undermine the First Amendment.” It “should worry us all,” he said.

According to the Trump administration, decisions regarding access to restricted areas are up to the White House, not the press. Since the administration of President Dwight Eisenhower in 1953-61, the White House Correspondents’ Association has been deciding who is in the press pools. In February, the White House resumed that custom by stating that it wanted to expand access to other news outlets.

The administration’s supporting brief states that “it is legally incorrect if the AP makes the claim that the White House lacks authority to restrict access to news gathering activities from sensitive areas of the White House.”

A lower court upheld the government’s right to retaliate against a news organization’s speech this spring, but the appeals court halted any further action until the case is resolved.

Additionally, AP editorial style advises acknowledging Trump’s change of name for the Gulf. The president claimed that until AP’s style was changed, access would be restricted.

The New York Times and The Washington Post, among other news outlets, submitted a brief supporting the AP.