Photo illustration by Nils Huenerfruest for Unsplash
In an April 9 statement, the Society of Professional Journalists praised U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden’s ruling restoring the Associated Press’ access to cover presidential events.
“The preliminary injunction is a significant win for press freedom, reaffirming that the government cannot retaliate against journalists based on the content of their reporting,” SPJ said.
“Freedom of the press isn’t legitimate if it only applies to outlets that comply with government preferences,” said SPJ National President Emily Bloch in the statement. “This ruling reinforces a vital principle: journalists must be able to report facts without fear of punishment, even — and especially — when those facts are uncomfortable for those in power.”
“The ruling follows the AP’s exclusion from the presidential press pool since Feb. 11, after the outlet declined to follow an executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico,” the statement reads. “Despite other major outlets continuing to use the same terminology, the AP was the only organization penalized — a move McFadden deemed unconstitutional.”
Here is the entire statement:
SPJ: Phoenix, Arizona Chapter 