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Polls are now a reliable indicator of what corporate Republicans want us to think.

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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Let’s Check In With the Fourth Estate

Let’s Check In With the Fourth Estate

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The AP has been behaving admirably in the face of Trump’s insistence that they refer to the Gulf of Mexico by his made-up name:

The White House blocked an Associated Press journalist from covering a news conference with two major world leaders Thursday, upping the stakes in a disagreement between the news agency and the Trump administration over AP’s style decision to stick with the name “Gulf of Mexico” for the body of water that the president rechristened the “Gulf of America.”

An AP reporter was prevented from entering a news conference where President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi answered questions, effectively shutting out thousands of global news outlets that rely on the news organization.

Julie Pace, the AP’s senior vice president and executive editor, called it a “deeply troubling escalation” and “a plain violation of the First Amendment” to the U.S. Constitution.

I’m gonna say that Pace is wrong — the White House can allow whomever they want to go to a press conference, for whatever reason, otherwise “Cheeto Dust Joe’s Political TikTok, Live From Mom’s Basement” could sue the White House for not letting them in on First Amendment grounds. The point, instead, is that they’re punishing one press operation for not doing what they want, and that’s gross and bad. AP’s rationale is that they’re an international news organization, and changing the name would cause confusion. I hope they stick to that.

Anyway, the White House Correspondents Association is out with a statement that also mentions the First Amendment. Maybe someone can check my memory, but I think they made more of a fuss when Fox was given some shit by Obama and Biden.

My point about the First Amendment is that they should keep that one in their pockets until some coder bootcamp incel Muskrat starts hacking their websites and shutting them down, because that’s what’s coming.

Frankly, my take has been and probably will always be that the presence of the White House Correspondents at the press conferences for any administration, but particularly this one, is a waste of money. Send an intern, if they’ll let one in, otherwise just watch the feed from the press room on whatever TV is handy. Any clever “gotcha” questions aren’t clever and don’t “get” anyone. The purpose of the Press Secretary is to push out the administration’s line, and while it’s entertaining to watch Trump’s idiot du jour spit lies and bullshit, it’s ultimately a pointless exercise. Now that Trump is apparently going to have daily signing ceremonies for mostly-illegal Executive Orders, who cares who asks the obvious questions to President Musk and his kid Ready Player One? The press think that their presence makes a difference. The better approach would be to do research cultivate sources so they can rebut the lies Musk tells, and put that rebuttal into the stories they write about the “press conferences”. But they still don’t like to do this because they’d rather just report “s/he said” | “s/he said” stories and not call a lie, a lie. (Sorry, “falsehood”, got carried away for a minute.)

In other Gulf of Mexico news, Claudia Sheinbaum has stated that Mexico might sue Google over their use of the other name since Mexico has sovereignty over a good part of the Gulf. AP reported that. Good.

Reader Interactions

54Comments

  2. 2.

    JoyceH

    Just curious – has the Trump administration actually submitted a proposal to the US Board of Geographic Names to actually change the name officially? That IS the way to actually change a name, not just the Prez signing one of his goofy executive order. The BGN is part of the Interior Department- has anyone told him?

  3. 3.

    Baud

    DOJ Settles First Amendment Suit Over White House Press Access

    PEN America sued over Donald Trump’s treatment of journalists, but President Joe Biden’s administration won’t keep up the fight

  4. 4.

    Leto

    Remember when Obama tried to ban Fauz News from the White House reporting pool? And every fucking outlet whined about that decision? Are we having massive protests from those same people about this? No? Hmmm, what’s different this time…

  5. 5.

    JoyceH

    Also – how about a reporter who IS allowed in to ask Trump or the press secretary if an application on the name change been submitted to the BGN? Because I guarantee that not a single soul in this administration know anything about it.

  7. 7.

    Old School

    I don’t see that the AP has actually written an article about the body of water since Trump’s order.

    This whole thing seems to be about the style guide saying they’d reference both names when they do write about it.

  8. 8.

    Keith P.

    @Leto: I’m glad I’m not the only one who remembered that episode immediately. The relative silence out of those same orgs today is mind-numbing

  10. 10.

    Baud

    Via reddit, brolebrities 

    Jon defending Rogan by saying he “doesn’t exist in a right wing ecosystem” was incredibly disappointing and he only feels that way because he’s friends with him

  12. 12.

    justsomeguy05

    Republicans & head of ICE say “If someone is here illegally, they broke the law, therefore they are a criminal”.
    Main steam US media on ICE actions : “ICE deports 300 criminals”.  Thanks NBC/CBS/ABC and your parent companies for reporting propaganda rather than being journalists !

  13. 13.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    Correspondents at the press conferences for any administration, but particularly this one, is a waste of money

    This one seems remarkably bad at answering questions.  If anything, follow up questions would likely make the Trump admin seem less incompetent.

  14. 14.

    Old School

    @Another Scott: That article is about the name change, so the AP’s style guide as to how they plan to refer to the body of water doesn’t come into play

    Edit:  I guess this part does:

    The area, long named the Gulf of Mexico across the the world, has gained a geopolitical spotlight after President Donald Trump declared he would change the Gulf’s name.

  15. 15.

    tobie

    I developed an abiding loathing for Ruth Marcus when she said that Obama was pitching a “hissy fit” about FOX. The phrase alone was so distasteful for me. She did something arguably worse a few years later when she singled out a *16 year-old girl” who criticized Gov Sam Brownback (Kansas) as the face of a new rudeness in politics. Marcus is a whiner and a creep.

  17. 17.

    MobiusKlein

    While no org has a First Amendment right to be at the press event, the violation occurs when the POTUS and crew kick folks to suppress specific viewpoints.

     

    Like it’s OK for a bar to have a dress code.  But not OK for a bar to exclude Black people.

  18. 18.

    Steve LaBonne

    News conferences have no value for journalism- they’re occasions for stenography. Maybe the AP reporters’ time can now be freed up for doing some actual reporting.

  20. 20.

    Alce _e_ardillo

    The better approach would be to do research cultivate sources so they can rebut the lies Musk tells, and put that rebuttal into the stories they write about the “press conferences”. But they still don’t like to do this because they’d rather just report “s/he said” | “s/he said” stories and not call a lie, a lie. (Sorry, “falsehood”, got carried away for a minute.)

    I think the  real reason is that research is uncomfortably close to actual work.

  21. 21.

    @mistermix.bsky.social

    @Baud: Yeah, that was a lawsuit against the Trump admin that the Biden admin settled after they came to office.  I don’t think it tells us a lot about how the suit would have turned out.

    Here’s how I look at it:  the White House Press Room is small.  Unless they want to hold press conferences in RFK stadium, the administration is going to have to limit the members of the press who are allowed.  As long as there’s a fig leaf of a prima facie fair rationale for keeping some out and letting others in, I think a 1st Amendment challenge will be a loser.  If you look at the sophistry dished up by the press office, who have already been letting in right-wing outlets, they say it’s about “adding diversity” to the press corps.  That’s their rationale.

    Unfortunately for them, Trump keeps saying the soft part (retribution) out loud, so maybe they can file another lawsuit, who knows?

  22. 22.

    gvg

    @JoyceH: I suggest we keep quiet. No sense in guiding them into doing something correctly of legally and we might get people fired in the interior department if they had to object on some procedural grounds, or even had to fix his grammer. Just point it out after we get rid of him.

  23. 23.

    Kelly

    In PNW news T!@#@$ is planning to cut Bonneville Power Administration staff by 20%. BPA runs our regional power grid. There’s plenty of work they need to do to connect more renewable power and reduce fire hazards. Probationary employees are already fired.

    Someone pointed out that the federal workforce is relatively old and canning the young folks is not gonna help that.

  25. 25.

    Jeffg166

    The AP could start a fierce critical accounting of the daily activities of the felon. It’s not like they are secret. With a major news organization dumping on him daily he will fold fast.

  26. 26.

    justsomeguy05

    @Josie:   To be clear, I was not claiming that it was a crime.

    I was saying that Republicans & ICE leader SAY that it is a crime, and media  – seemingly unknowingly – repeats the claims that all deportations are “of criminals”.

  27. 27.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @Kelly:

    Someone pointed out that the federal workforce is relatively old and canning the young folks is not gonna help that.

    To them, that’s a feature, not a bug. Overwork the older workers so hard that they end retiring/quitting. Underwear gnomes… Profit!

  29. 29.

    trnc

    @@mistermix.bsky.social:

    As long as there’s a fig leaf of a prima facie fair rationale for keeping some out and letting others in, I think a 1st Amendment challenge will be a loser.

    I’m having trouble imagining any 1A case here. All press outlets get the briefing, no outlet has a right to be in the room or to ask questions just because they’re in the room and “You can’t be in the club” isn’t the same as preventing them from publishing something or threatening with actual punitive action.

  30. 30.

    kindness

    Facebook & WaPo’s capitulation I understand.  They are spineless.  Google & Apple’s capitulation I am very unhappy with.

  32. 32.

    JoyceH

    @trnc: The AP could use the time the other media are wasting recording administration lies to do some actual investigative journalism. Wouldn’t that be a refreshing change of pace?

    I’d like to see some diving into the background of the Musk minions who are gamboling through our computer systems.

  33. 33.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    I didn’t know this about the AP. I probably should have.

    For those unfamiliar, the Associated Press is a non-profit cooperative formed by US news organizations that covers news for its 1,300 member papers, radio stations and TV stations. It is the foundation of the American press. It has always gotten the first seat and first question at official events.[image or embed]— Helen Kennedy (@helenkennedy.bsky.social) February 14, 2025 at 11:59 AM

  34. 34.

    John Revolta

    NOAA/NWS is so far resisting the change, which is admirable considering they’re definitely in the crosshairs for being sold for parts by these assholes

  35. 35.

    Another Scott

    Meanwhile, yet another illustration that subject matter expertise is actually valuable, and non-obvious…

    https://mastodon.social/@[email protected]/114003857582355208

    Altbot

    @Some_Emo_Chick Here is an alt-text description of the image:

    A screenshot of two tweets on a white background. The first tweet is by Toshi [@]toshiHQ, with a profile picture of a person in a yellow hat and sunglasses. The tweet states, “It looks like Elon’s genius coders don’t know how COBOL works. Social security runs on COBOL, which does not use a date or time type. So the date is stored as a number using the ISO 8601 standard. The epoch for this is 150 years ago (1875) – aka the metre standard. So if you don’t know the date of something, it will be a 0 value, which in COBOL will default to 1875 – 150 years ago.” The second tweet is by Donald Trump Jr. [@]DonaldJTrumpJr, with a profile picture of Donald Trump Jr. The tweet, dated Feb 11, states, “OMG!!! It’s so bad what’s been happening to our country and your money! Breaking: Musk says there’s people over 150-years-old collecting Social Security…Show more.”

    Provided by @altbot, generated using Gemini

    Feb 14, 2025, 02:20 PM·

    Grr…

    Best wishes,
    Scott.

  36. 36.

    E.

    Oh I see Musk has finally discovered the vast federal land management agencies now. How long before he starts selling the “unproductive” National Forests and grasslands to some oligarch.

  38. 38.

    Matt McIrvin

    @prostratedragon: That’s stupid, it’s like if UPS and FedEx wanted US Mail to go away even though they can’t cover the whole country without *using* US Mail. The private meteorological services all use the National Weather Service as a source of information. Without the NWS they’d just suck. But maybe they figure no one would care.

    It’s very much like the attitudes of tech guys dismantling the National Science Foundation–there’s this pathological engineering attitude that engineering doesn’t need science any more, it can do the geniusing all by itself. I’ve seen it around for years, usually from guys with some kind of engineering or software training and a bunch of crank pseudoscience ideas that they think are being suppressed because science got corrupted by leftists.

  39. 39.

    Starfish (she/her)

    The coder bootcamp folks were much more likely to be normal humans than they were to be incels. This group seemed to contain more women, more former teachers, etc. The incels were fancy people who went to the correct colleges.

  40. 40.

    AM in NC

    @Baud:  Damn, when that man responds to the other guy trying to calm him down by saying “it’s not worth it”, with “YOU KNOW it is!”?

    Amen, brother. It IS.  Black folks doing the work, understanding the VALUES of our country the way those Nazis never fucking will.

  41. 41.

    Matt McIrvin

    @E.: Federal lands are THE prize to right-libertoonians out West, the premier symbol of government tyranny. Some of the rancher types will be surprised and upset when the result is that they can’t make use of them any more because they turned into strip mines or luxury resorts or whatever.

  42. 42.

    Leto

    @Kelly: @E.: these two are connected. Won’t be long before the privatization schemes are floated. I feel like most of us here know that, and are anticipating that.

  44. 44.

    TBone

    @prostratedragon: this really burns my grits!  NOAA is beloved and so very necessary.  As with all the other important gov’t. agencies, it is essential that it be kept out of the privatization enshittification schemes and grifts.  One of my besties had a ginger son who we nicknamed The Meteorologist when he was 7 and I guess that’s why this one bites my ass so hard.

  46. 46.

    TBone

    @Baud: thank you I needed some Antifa GTFOH, son, you in the WRONG neighborhood and yes, dadgummit, it very much IS worth it he sez when they try to diminish his voice!!! 🤎

  49. 49.

    Professor Bigfoot

    @Baud: Jon Stewart defending Joe Rogan?

    Bog standard white dude defending another bog-standard white dude. As well to bring in Bill Maher.

  50. 50.

    Professor Bigfoot

    @MobiusKlein:Like it’s OK for a bar to have a dress code.  But not OK for a bar to exclude Black people.

    SO FAR.

    We know they want to bring back segregation.

    They don’t even want to SEE anyone who isn’t a straight white Christian.

  51. 51.

    The Thin Black Duke

    @Professor Bigfoot: I loathed Stewart ever since I watched his mugging-disguised-as-an-interview with President Obama. Stewart’s blatant disrespect to Obama was appalling. Don’t get me started on his sanewashing of Dave Chappelle’s ugly transphobic “jokes”.

  53. 53.

    Citizen Alan

    @MobiusKlein: Like it’s OK for a bar to have a dress code. But not OK for a bar to exclude Black people.

    Yeah, well, Trump’s only been in officefor a few weeks. Give him time

  54. 54.

    laura

    The AP bootening from the White House press gaggle is not a 1st Amendment case, it’s a loyalty test. 47 is demanding acquiescence as he King Canutes on the daily. We will accept and agree that the gulf of Mexico is the gulf of America. We will accept that the insurrectionists were the victims. We will accept that migrants of color are criminals and subject to immediate deportation. If the press will not conform and manufacture and publish instant consent, then off to the cornfield. And if the press doesn’t walk out en masse in support of AP, as they were willing to do on behalf of fox news they’re no longer performing a constitutional role in ensuring an informed citizenry, they’re just stenographers at the court of a mad king.

    Our late friend’s nym over and over and over.

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