The battle over renaming the Gulf of Mexico may seem trivial, but it’s part of a larger effort to intimidate the press. When the Associated Press refused to adopt “Gulf of America” in its stylebook, the White House retaliated—barring AP reporters and triggering a lawsuit. This is just one move in a broader strategy to pressure media outlets, restrict access, and reshape public narratives. As history shows, controlling information is a powerful tool, and the consequences extend far beyond a single name dispute.
The full commentary from Mary Ellen Klas, a former capital bureau chief for the Miami Herald, was produced for Bloomberg, and can be read at the Grand Forks Herald.
