"Welcome aboard" cards nestled quietly in empty seats on Air Force One. The seats would remain untaken throughout the flight, as their intended occupants had been banned from boarding by the US government. Some in the press pool sent pictures to their colleagues at the Associated Press, showing the lonely greeting cards carrying their names.

This was not the first time this year that AP journalists' coverage of presidential events was handicapped. In early February, AP reporters were barred from the White House complex more than once.

The banning of AP had something to do with the Gulf of Mexico.

Several months ago, the American government decided to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. Many companies and media agencies followed suit, including Google and Apple. But AP continued to use the original name. As a result, its reporters have been banned from the Oval Office and Air Force One indefinitely.

Later, in a statement, the White House even accused AP of "committing to misinformation." In the US government's logic, people worldwide who call the gulf by its well-known name are spreading misinformation.

This sparked worries about the violation of the First Amendment, which reads that "Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press." In other words, newspapers and other media outlets are protected in freely circulating information to the public without fear of censorship or punishment by the government.

AP, for one, does not feel protected. It is troubling that what happened to AP is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to US restrictions on press freedom and content manipulation.

"We need you out of the way," said an officer with visible displeasure. This was the greeting many journalists received when they tried to cover violent clashes and demonstrations at US college campuses.

For some time now, peace-loving students and faculty members urging their universities to cut off financial ties with Israel have been barricaded, arrested, punished, or even dismissed, according to media reports. Besides the student demonstrators, the journalists themselves were unfairly treated. In addition to verbal violence, some journalists were put in police vehicles or even in jail. When full-time journalists had a rough ride, student journalists stepped up, but their access to campus was also barred and their academic future threatened.

According to the US Press Freedom Tracker, journalists were arrested or detained by US police at least 48 times in 2024, more than in 2022 and 2023 combined. Among them, 90 percent occurred during Gaza-related protests.
Going back earlier, on Feb 3, 2023, a freight train carrying toxic industrial chemicals derailed in Ohio, spilling the hazardous substances and causing a fire that burned for several hours. Thousands of animals died. Today, local residents still suffer from resulting health issues.

Such a jaw-dropping incident should have trended online within hours after it happened, but not a single mainstream media outlet covered it. Word did not come out until photos and videos posted by locals caught the world's eye. Search "Ohio derailment" now, and you will find that many reports were released at least 10 days after the incident. What was the press doing in between? No one knows. But one thing comes to people's mind, an invisible hand may be at play.

While policing the world to maintain press freedom, the US government turns a blind eye to its own suppression of journalists. While attacking others for "content manipulation," the US government labels everything that bothers it as misinformation.

In a Senate hearing, Senator Rand Paul questioned, "Do you know who the greatest propagator of disinformation in the history of the world is?", and answered, "The US government."

Before asking others to heed dissenting voices, the US needs to stop gagging its own press.

The author is a commentator on international affairs, writing regularly for Xinhua News, Global Times, China Daily, CGTN etc. He can be reached at [email protected].

The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

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