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The Associated Press has weighed in on how it will respond to President Donald Trump‘s executive order changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, and the name of Alaska’s Denali back to Mount McKinley.
The guidance is significant as the AP Stylebook has widespread acceptance across the news industry.
In a note sent to news outlets, Amanda Bennett, the AP’s vice president of standards and inclusion, wrote that the news service will continue to refer to the Gulf of Mexico “while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen.”
“Trump’s order only carries authority within the United States. Mexico, as well as other countries and international bodies, do not have to recognize the name change,” Bennett wrote.
She added, “As a global news agency that disseminates news around the world, the AP must ensure that place names and geography are easily recognizable to all audiences. “
She pointed to other examples where a geographical place is referred to by more than one name. She noted that the U.S. government’s designation of the Gulf of California while Mexico calls it the Sea Of Cortez.
Bennett did issue guidance announcing that it would switch the name of Denali mountain back to Mount McKinley, as the area “lies solely in the United States and as president, Trump has the authority to change federal geographical names within the country.” President Barack Obama changed the name to Denali in 2015 to align with the tradition of Alaska natives, she noted. After Trump signed the executive order, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said that she opposed the move.
She wrote, “Our nation’s tallest mountain, which has been called Denali for thousands of years, must continue to be known by the rightful name bestowed by Alaska’s Koyukon Athabascans, who have stewarded the land since time immemorial.”
Trump’s executive order states that McKinley “heroically led our Nation to victory in the Spanish-American War. Under his leadership, the United States enjoyed rapid economic growth and prosperity, including an expansion of territorial gains for the Nation. President McKinley championed tariffs to protect U.S. manufacturing, boost domestic production, and drive U.S. industrialization and global reach to new heights. He was tragically assassinated in an attack on our Nation’s values and our success, and he should be honored for his steadfast commitment to American greatness.”
The order gives the secretary of the interior 30 days to reinstate the name. The National Park surrounding the mountain will retain the name Denali.
