Axios has announced it will use the name “Gulf of America” rather than “Gulf of Mexico” in its reporting.
“Our standard is to use ‘Gulf of America (renamed by U.S. from Gulf of Mexico)’ in our reporting because our audience is mostly U.S.-based compared to other publishers with international audiences,” the news outlet said a statement on X.
“At the same time, the government should never dictate how any news organization makes editorial decisions. The AP and all news organizations should be free to report as they see fit.”
The concession comes in the wake of the White House announcing that Associated Press would have its access limited to the Oval Office and Air Force One for refusing to use the new name.
“The Associated Press continues to ignore the lawful geographic name change of the Gulf of America,” White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich wrote in a post on Friday.
An AP journalist was then prevented from attending a ceremony in the Oval Office.
In a statement to The Hill, AP said, “Freedom of speech is a pillar of American democracy and a core value of the American people.”
The conflict between the news outlet and the White House began at the end of January, when AP announced guidance saying it would refer to the former Gulf of Mexico “by its original name while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen.”