President Donald Trump announced this week that he will continue denying The Associated Press access to Oval Office and Air Force One press briefings until the news agency stops referring to the Gulf of America by its former name — the Gulf of Mexico.
The AP called this decision "alarming" and a possible First Amendment violation, adding that traditionally it’s been known as the Gulf of Mexico for more than 400 years.
Judging from the news agency’s actions this week, they may want to consider genuinely following tradition by distinguishing the good guys from the bad guys.
Yesterday Hamas terrorists released what they said were the remaining four hostages they’d held since the Oct. 7, 2023 terror attack upon Israeli civilians.
All four were dead.
They included a man who was 83 when he was abducted, and a young mother and her two small children — the youngest nine months old on the day of his kidnapping.
"BREAKING: Israel says it has received remains of captives handed over by Hamas as part of Gaza ceasefire," The AP posted on Twitter/X.
This was almost universally denounced, beginning with a Twitter/X user with the handle "NotYourJewishMom," a strong, vocal supporter of Israel who noticed The AP’s use of the word "captives" that needed correcting.
"*HOSTAGES," she began, or more correctly, "MURDERED HOSTAGES. You pathetic Israel-hating organization. Shame on you."
Conservative CNN pundit Scott Jennings dug a little deeper and found this tidbit in the full AP story, "Hamas has said all four were killed along with their guards in Israeli airstrikes."
So we’re supposed to take terrorists at their word?
And even if true, are we supposed to feel sorry for the dead guards and believe it was Israel’s fault?
The point is, they should never have been kidnapped in the first place — especially an elderly man, a nine-month-old baby, and his mother and sibling.
Jennings concluded, "The sacred Associated Press, ladies and gentlemen."
Compare The AP tweet above to the Newsmax tweet below covering the same story.
"Ariel and Kfir Bibas — two of the youngest hostages held in Gaza — became a symbol for Israelis of the brutality of Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack.
"The return of what are presumed to be their bodies on Thursday dashed hopes they had survived captivity and struck another blow to a nation still reeling from Hamas' assault."
The Associated Press has been reporting its own version of the truth for some time.
The news service maintains a writing stylebook, long-considered something of a bible among news editors and writers.
But for more than a decade The AP’s revisions to its stylebook tend to obscure fact in favor of political correctness.
In 2013, for example, it cautioned writers to avoid using the term "illegal immigrant" or "illegal alien" to describe foreign nationals who illegally enter the United States, and substitute "undocumented immigrant" instead.
However, federal agents have used the term "illegal alien" for decades, and it’s contained in official documents.
In late 2020 it discouraged writers from using the word "riot" to describe an actual riot.
"Focusing on rioting and property destruction rather than underlying grievance has been used in the past to stigmatize broad swaths of people protesting against lynching, police brutality or for racial justice, going back to the urban uprisings of the 1960s," The AP wrote.
This was in apparent response to the 2020 so-called "Summer of Love," when Black Lives Matter (BLM) rioters inflicted up to $2 billion in property damage, burned and looted businesses, and injured and killed dozens of citizens — including police officers.
Much of that was in response to the death of George Floyd while he was in the control of Minneapolis police officers.
Although video made it appear as though he may have been choked, the medical examiner found no evidence of asphyxiation.
But that was OK, according to The AP. The important thing was that the rioters, (or rather demonstrators), were engaged in a "fiery but mostly peaceful" protest against "police brutality or for racial justice."
But while The AP may treat rioters and terrorists with respect, it doesn’t do the same for their actual victims.
Shed no tears for The Associated Press — follow the president’s lead.
"We are gonna keep them out until such time that they agree that it's the Gulf of America," Trump told reporters at a Mar-a-Lago press conference on Tuesday. "We're very proud of this country, and we want it to be the Gulf of America."
The White House may also want to exclude AP reporters until they can distinguish right from wrong, fantasy from reality, victim from assailant.
But accuracy may be asking for too much.
Michael Dorstewitz is a retired lawyer and has been a frequent contributor to Newsmax. He is also a former U.S. Merchant Marine officer and a Second Amendment supporter. Read Michael Dorstewitz's Reports — More Here.
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