JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – President Donald Trump recently signed a slew of executive orders intending to “honor American greatness,” which included reverting Denali to Mount McKinley — the original name of the Alaskan mountain before it was changed by President Barack Obama — and renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
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News4JAX is following Associated Press style guidelines regarding the name changes and will refer to North America’s tallest peak as Mt. McKinley.
According to AP, the area lies on U.S. soil, and as president, “Trump has the authority to change federal geographical names within the country.”
However, AP notes that the Gulf of Mexico has carried its name for over 400 years, and AP will refer to it by its original name while also acknowledging the new name the president has chosen.
“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,” the organization wrote. “There are other examples where the AP refers to a geographical place by more than one name. For example, the Gulf of California is sometimes referred to as the Sea of Cortez. The U.S. government has designated that body of water as the Gulf of California, while Mexico recognizes it as the Sea of Cortez.”
Graham Media Group also released a statement explaining the decision to adhere to AP’s guidelines.
The Associated Press Stylebook has long been the standard for newspapers, digital news and broadcast news operations for source for establishing guidelines for names, grammar, spelling and punctuation. Graham Media Group has long used this reference as a guide for consistency in all of our media hubs. There is no compelling reason to deviate from their guidance on these two matters.
Graham Media Group
Moving forward, News4JAX will adhere to any updated guidelines announced by AP.