The Associated Press (AP) is having a rough time lately.
First, they got themselves booted from White House events for refusing to call the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America.”
Then, they announced layoffs – about 8% of their workforce – because, apparently, their business model isn’t as bulletproof as they’d like you to think.
And on top of that, critics have been pointing out their increasing tilt to the left, earning them nicknames like “American Pravda” on social media.
Let’s start with the White House snub.
The AP refused to use the Trump administration’s preferred term for the Gulf of Mexico, and in response, they found themselves left out of press conferences.
Now, they’re crying foul, acting as if they have a God-given right to front-row seats at every government event.
Funny, though – these are the same folks who cheered when conservative reporters were locked out, silenced, or outright banned from platforms for not toeing the establishment line.
So, it’s a “threat to democracy” when it happens to them, but “just consequences” when it happens to anyone else. Got it.
Next up: layoffs. The AP is cutting about 8% of its staff.
Why? Because, despite all the self-righteous talk about journalism being a sacred duty, they still have to turn a profit. The media industry has been struggling for years, and AP is no exception.
But here’s the kicker: the same organization that regularly lectures businesses about “corporate greed” and the importance of protecting workers has no problem slashing its own workforce when times get tough.
Maybe they should take a page from Elon Musk’s playbook and call it a “transition to efficiency.”
And then there’s the bias issue.
The AP loves to position itself as a beacon of neutral reporting. But let’s be real. It’s been leaning further left than a San Francisco city council meeting for years.
Critics on X (formerly Twitter) have dubbed them “American Pravda” or “American Propaganda” – and honestly, it’s hard to argue.
Just look at their style guide: they insist on lowercase “white” while capitalizing “Black,” use “they” as a singular pronoun (even if it defies biological reality), and are quick to label anything that doesn’t fit their worldview as “misinformation.”
And speaking of misinformation, let’s not forget their latest decree: calling it the “Gulf of America” is misinformation, and they will not tolerate it.
Ah yes, the same media that spent years pushing the “Russian collusion” hoax and calling inflation “transitory” is now suddenly the arbiter of truth. The hypocrisy would be hilarious if it weren’t so infuriating.
Of course, their defenders claim the AP is just standing up for journalistic integrity and resisting political pressure.
But where was this integrity when they happily parroted government narratives on COVID lockdowns, climate change, or, say, the Steele dossier?
The AP’s version of “neutrality” is about as convincing as a CNN fact-check.
So, to sum up: the AP is mad they’re losing access, mad they have to fire their own employees, and mad that people are calling them out on their bias.
But instead of looking inward and asking why they’ve lost credibility, they double down and expect the world to fall in line.
It’s a rough time to be the AP. But hey, at least they can still write angry editorials about the dangers of “misinformation.”
