I was shocked to learn that the AP was actually using BOTH names and providing context for international readers. That detail makes this whole situation even pettier than I initially thought—possibly the pettiest press story of all time. It's fascinating that Judge McFadden's decision characterized it as the AP's "viewpoint" when what they were doing was explicitly trying NOT to inject a viewpoint. They were being neutral by acknowledging both names with context, but apparently even neutrality is considered extreme in this Orwellian era.
Sure, it's "a major victory" for the First Amendment, but let's not forget that the most-read news organization in the world was still deprived of White House access for several weeks. This reminds me of how easily democratic norms can be eroded, even when courts eventually step in.
That bit about Theodore Roosevelt briefing reporters while finishing his morning shave got me thinking—we should bring that back! That's exactly the kind of authenticity voters today are begging for. People are so tired of perfectly polished politicians that they'll vote against their own interests just to find someone who breaks from the tradition of perfect appearances. Though I realize this would be challenging for the first woman president, who we know will be expected to somehow have a perfect appearance without looking like she's trying, being everything at once or else facing ridicule. But man oh man do we need a woman president so badly.
Side thought: It seems weird to me to not have photographer credits. In this era where AI can generate images from a text prompt, adding photographer credits would not only be fair to the actual humans behind the camera but could also help confirm the authenticity of news images.
You know what this made me think of? SHARON! Her insta stories as she gets ready in the morning. I know she doesn't want to run for office (and who can blame her?) but I really think she would make a great president.
OMG, Timothy, challenging for a woman president?!? Nobody and I mean nobody, wants to see Trump before his hair gets sprayed in place or all of that orange goop gets slathered on his face!
😵 well, I would argue that those interventions only make things worse for him, but I guess you’re right that there have been a few candid photos that were pretty remarkable to see what he actually looks like.
Perhaps my overly idealistic 4am brain was hypothesizing a future leader who didn’t need or want any excuse for the average voter to think they were hiding something. Someone who doesn’t have to pretend not to care, because they actually don’t. We say we want that, but who knows if it would actually work.
Sorry for the confusion: I was attempting to make the point that while an "I don't need to dress up because I'm the real deal" schtick could be appealing to a lot of voters, I was then acknowledging that there's a deep double standard that would probably make that a lot more difficult for women in the public eye to attempt. If a man rolls out of bed and wears a hoodie to a press conference, they'll say "he's relatable". If a woman did the same, many people might instinctually shame her. Or maybe I'm wrong, perhaps a woman with bedhead could be just what we need!
I completely agree with you. If I ran for office, I'd totally experiment with the "roll out of bed" vibe. Well, I have the vibe down, I'd just experiment with the public revolt it might cause. You are correct on both counts - a woman with bedhead would be shunned AND I believe she is exactly what we need. When a woman can be accepted on her character and ability alone, it will be a huge win. Also, how fun.
Let's face it. Would a women who disregards the (strongly) suggested legislator dress code such as John Fetterman ever live it down? The first time Fetterman arrived in the Senate chambers dressed in a hoodie and shorts...the "controversy" lasted about 30-minutes.
Bravo to the AP and its lawyers for fighting for their First Amendment rights! Can you imagine if they acted as shamefully as some of those rich, fatcat law firms? “Oh, we’re so sorry, sir. If you let us back in we will always call the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America AND we promise to publish 10,000 pages of articles favorable to you and your administration this year.” I’m sending them a donation right now.
Something many might not understand about the AP Style Guide is that it's not just a journalistic style guide. Many global business organizations use it as the basis for their own style guides. (My career has been business writing: technical, marketing, communications. Basically, I memorize style guides for a living. 😅) For example, most tech companies base their corporate style guides on AP. Other industries default to the Chicago Manual of Style, or CMoS. Academia uses the American Psychological Association, or APA. All this means is that they create much shorter style guides that basically say, "Here are a few areas we want to call out specifically for our company or industry (or where we differ from AP), but when in doubt, default to AP."
As Gabe pointed out here, since the change to "Gulf of America" is NOT globally recognized (the US doesn't have the authority to make that change), AP cannot just change their globally used style guide to appease Trump. It would genuinely cause chaos, and not just in journalism. The concession to use both with clarification is a pretty big win for Trump, and it's as much as AP can reasonably give. To block AP from White House access over this is the definition of going against the First Amendment. If SCOTUS ultimately sides with Trump on this, it will genuinely be the beginning of the end of the First Amendment.
Aww, thanks. No, I'm definitely US-based, though I've worked remotely most of my career and am open to travel (but not relocation). But not located in Mexico or Argentina. 🙁
Yeah I figured! I am sure that Sharon has some international subscribers, but I assume most of us are in the USA.
I have been where I am working now for several years and haven't looked much at the job market since then. I have noticed that recruiter emails have slowed down quite a bit though, so I assume that's an indicator that it's not so great. We are finally hiring a writer for the first time in over 5 years, after losing 5 writers to layoffs and attrition over the last few years.
I worry about AI taking over much of the tech writing field. I have been in this since 2007 and am management now.
Best of luck to you! Feel free to DM me if you'd ever like to chat.
I believe that one of the most defining tenets of the trump era is the ongoing rampant cowardice of this group of individuals. The cowardice is shown repeatedly- they can’t handle hard questions, or learn about our history, or have difficult town halls or…it just keeps repeating itself. Bullies tend to congregate together as they can’t stand on their own. They are cowards.
I am so glad we have the judicial branch to help remedy these injustices. (Which is why it is so chilling for Trump to be intimidating law firms with EOs.) And I am so grateful that we have a free press to report on the administration’s activities, because otherwise I as a citizen would be unable to keep track of everything that has been happening this year. And staying informed is how I can exercise my rights as a citizen to express how I want my government to govern.
If people are looking for ways to support the AP, they have excellent morning and evening news roundup emails. They also accept donations. I so appreciate their fact forward coverage! They always rank highly as a recommended source on the Ad Fontes media bias chart too.
I hate trump. He is lower than a piece of nasty old gum stuck to the bottom of someone’s shoe. I hate every person who voted for him. He is unqualified in every single way to be president. Hundreds of thousands of people have given their lives to insure that the rights and protections our constitution gives us, stand strong. He trashes those rights and protections on a daily basis and those surrounding him just let it happen. The fact that I have to share air with people who thought a felon, a rapist, a terrible businessman and an all around horrible human being was fit to lead this country makes me ill. He couldn’t be doing any of this if the maga cult had any people with character and morals. That might not follow Sharon’s logic of looking for common ground, but I can have no common ground with people like that. We will not have a country we recognize in four years 😢
If you click on his name it takes you to his personal Substack. Sharon has had multiple guest writers on the Preamble. Since this isn't Gabe's first time she didn't introduce him. But she has in the past.
I just realized that if you scroll to the very end of the article (at least on desktop) it notes that this is a guest post, who the author is and gives a very short blurb about who they are and where you can find them.
Oh, interesting! I do not see that on my mobile app. I have an Android phone, so not sure if that's an all mobile thing or just an Android app version thing.
Gab and Elise Labott also write articles for The Preamble periodically. I’m certain both were vetted by Sharon to be nonpartisan and factual. It is nice to get their style and coverage. Also providing us with other sources of truth to follow. I follow both of them after discovering them here.
I was shocked to learn that the AP was actually using BOTH names and providing context for international readers. That detail makes this whole situation even pettier than I initially thought—possibly the pettiest press story of all time. It's fascinating that Judge McFadden's decision characterized it as the AP's "viewpoint" when what they were doing was explicitly trying NOT to inject a viewpoint. They were being neutral by acknowledging both names with context, but apparently even neutrality is considered extreme in this Orwellian era.
Sure, it's "a major victory" for the First Amendment, but let's not forget that the most-read news organization in the world was still deprived of White House access for several weeks. This reminds me of how easily democratic norms can be eroded, even when courts eventually step in.
That bit about Theodore Roosevelt briefing reporters while finishing his morning shave got me thinking—we should bring that back! That's exactly the kind of authenticity voters today are begging for. People are so tired of perfectly polished politicians that they'll vote against their own interests just to find someone who breaks from the tradition of perfect appearances. Though I realize this would be challenging for the first woman president, who we know will be expected to somehow have a perfect appearance without looking like she's trying, being everything at once or else facing ridicule. But man oh man do we need a woman president so badly.
Side thought: It seems weird to me to not have photographer credits. In this era where AI can generate images from a text prompt, adding photographer credits would not only be fair to the actual humans behind the camera but could also help confirm the authenticity of news images.
You know what this made me think of? SHARON! Her insta stories as she gets ready in the morning. I know she doesn't want to run for office (and who can blame her?) but I really think she would make a great president.
🗳️📫🙌
OMG, Timothy, challenging for a woman president?!? Nobody and I mean nobody, wants to see Trump before his hair gets sprayed in place or all of that orange goop gets slathered on his face!
😵 well, I would argue that those interventions only make things worse for him, but I guess you’re right that there have been a few candid photos that were pretty remarkable to see what he actually looks like.
Perhaps my overly idealistic 4am brain was hypothesizing a future leader who didn’t need or want any excuse for the average voter to think they were hiding something. Someone who doesn’t have to pretend not to care, because they actually don’t. We say we want that, but who knows if it would actually work.
I don't understand what being female has to do with this. I know MANY men who take a significantly long time to get ready in the morning.
Sorry for the confusion: I was attempting to make the point that while an "I don't need to dress up because I'm the real deal" schtick could be appealing to a lot of voters, I was then acknowledging that there's a deep double standard that would probably make that a lot more difficult for women in the public eye to attempt. If a man rolls out of bed and wears a hoodie to a press conference, they'll say "he's relatable". If a woman did the same, many people might instinctually shame her. Or maybe I'm wrong, perhaps a woman with bedhead could be just what we need!
I completely agree with you. If I ran for office, I'd totally experiment with the "roll out of bed" vibe. Well, I have the vibe down, I'd just experiment with the public revolt it might cause. You are correct on both counts - a woman with bedhead would be shunned AND I believe she is exactly what we need. When a woman can be accepted on her character and ability alone, it will be a huge win. Also, how fun.
Let's start looking for that 35-year-old, unkempt-but-overqualified badass to save us
Thanks for the clarification. There certainly is a bit of a double standard!
Let's face it. Would a women who disregards the (strongly) suggested legislator dress code such as John Fetterman ever live it down? The first time Fetterman arrived in the Senate chambers dressed in a hoodie and shorts...the "controversy" lasted about 30-minutes.
Karoline Leaveit will simply refuse to call on AP reporters. And the fight against a fascist America continues….
Bravo to the AP and its lawyers for fighting for their First Amendment rights! Can you imagine if they acted as shamefully as some of those rich, fatcat law firms? “Oh, we’re so sorry, sir. If you let us back in we will always call the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America AND we promise to publish 10,000 pages of articles favorable to you and your administration this year.” I’m sending them a donation right now.
Without Freedom of the Press, there is NO Freedom.
That is the difference between a Democracy and an Autocracy.
Something many might not understand about the AP Style Guide is that it's not just a journalistic style guide. Many global business organizations use it as the basis for their own style guides. (My career has been business writing: technical, marketing, communications. Basically, I memorize style guides for a living. 😅) For example, most tech companies base their corporate style guides on AP. Other industries default to the Chicago Manual of Style, or CMoS. Academia uses the American Psychological Association, or APA. All this means is that they create much shorter style guides that basically say, "Here are a few areas we want to call out specifically for our company or industry (or where we differ from AP), but when in doubt, default to AP."
As Gabe pointed out here, since the change to "Gulf of America" is NOT globally recognized (the US doesn't have the authority to make that change), AP cannot just change their globally used style guide to appease Trump. It would genuinely cause chaos, and not just in journalism. The concession to use both with clarification is a pretty big win for Trump, and it's as much as AP can reasonably give. To block AP from White House access over this is the definition of going against the First Amendment. If SCOTUS ultimately sides with Trump on this, it will genuinely be the beginning of the end of the First Amendment.
Fellow business writer here (technical writing, to be exact!)
I'm job hunting at the moment. Let me know if yiu hear of anything. 😊
I am hiring a senior writer right now, if you happen to be based in Mexico or Argentina. Unfortunately they would not approve a US-based hire. :(
Aww, thanks. No, I'm definitely US-based, though I've worked remotely most of my career and am open to travel (but not relocation). But not located in Mexico or Argentina. 🙁
Yeah I figured! I am sure that Sharon has some international subscribers, but I assume most of us are in the USA.
I have been where I am working now for several years and haven't looked much at the job market since then. I have noticed that recruiter emails have slowed down quite a bit though, so I assume that's an indicator that it's not so great. We are finally hiring a writer for the first time in over 5 years, after losing 5 writers to layoffs and attrition over the last few years.
I worry about AI taking over much of the tech writing field. I have been in this since 2007 and am management now.
Best of luck to you! Feel free to DM me if you'd ever like to chat.
I believe that one of the most defining tenets of the trump era is the ongoing rampant cowardice of this group of individuals. The cowardice is shown repeatedly- they can’t handle hard questions, or learn about our history, or have difficult town halls or…it just keeps repeating itself. Bullies tend to congregate together as they can’t stand on their own. They are cowards.
I just want a competent adult in the White House.
I am so glad we have the judicial branch to help remedy these injustices. (Which is why it is so chilling for Trump to be intimidating law firms with EOs.) And I am so grateful that we have a free press to report on the administration’s activities, because otherwise I as a citizen would be unable to keep track of everything that has been happening this year. And staying informed is how I can exercise my rights as a citizen to express how I want my government to govern.
If people are looking for ways to support the AP, they have excellent morning and evening news roundup emails. They also accept donations. I so appreciate their fact forward coverage! They always rank highly as a recommended source on the Ad Fontes media bias chart too.
I’m shocked to see a sports ball analogy here! 😄 I pictured a football getting spiked over a volleyball net so it stayed on brand.
Decisions like this from the current White House reinforce my belief that ego matters more to this administration than constructive action.
I hate trump. He is lower than a piece of nasty old gum stuck to the bottom of someone’s shoe. I hate every person who voted for him. He is unqualified in every single way to be president. Hundreds of thousands of people have given their lives to insure that the rights and protections our constitution gives us, stand strong. He trashes those rights and protections on a daily basis and those surrounding him just let it happen. The fact that I have to share air with people who thought a felon, a rapist, a terrible businessman and an all around horrible human being was fit to lead this country makes me ill. He couldn’t be doing any of this if the maga cult had any people with character and morals. That might not follow Sharon’s logic of looking for common ground, but I can have no common ground with people like that. We will not have a country we recognize in four years 😢
Articles by Gabe Fleisher are good. But who is he? I thought the preamble was only written by Sharon? Confused! Must have missed something?
If you click on his name it takes you to his personal Substack. Sharon has had multiple guest writers on the Preamble. Since this isn't Gabe's first time she didn't introduce him. But she has in the past.
I wish there was a short bio for guest writers each time, since new people might be subscribing at any time and others might not read every article.
I just realized that if you scroll to the very end of the article (at least on desktop) it notes that this is a guest post, who the author is and gives a very short blurb about who they are and where you can find them.
Oh, interesting! I do not see that on my mobile app. I have an Android phone, so not sure if that's an all mobile thing or just an Android app version thing.
I don’t see it on my iPhone either.
I see it on my iPhone. That’s weird.
Gab and Elise Labott also write articles for The Preamble periodically. I’m certain both were vetted by Sharon to be nonpartisan and factual. It is nice to get their style and coverage. Also providing us with other sources of truth to follow. I follow both of them after discovering them here.