The Associated Press has issued guidance to retain the name “Lake Ontario” to refer to one of the Great Lakes, despite Donald Trump‘s order to designate the body of water as “Lake America” amid the trade war with Canada.
“The Associated Press will refer to Lake Ontario by its original name, including the name Trump has chosen when relevant,” a spokesperson for the news organization said in a statement. “As a global news agency that disseminates news around the world, the AP must ensure that place names and geography are recognizable to broad audiences.”
The AP’s guidance is below:
“Lake Ontario, Lake America
“U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America. The border between the United States and Canada runs through Lake Ontario. Trump’s order only affects how the United States government refers to the body of water. Canada, as well as other countries and international bodies, are not required to recognize the name change, and Canada has said it will not.
Lake Ontario has carried that name for more than 400 years. Refer to it by its original name. If it is relevant to the story, acknowledge and explain the name Trump has chosen.”
The guidance is significant because AP style is still widely accepted across the news industry.
Last year, the AP issued similar guidance after Trump issued an executive order renaming the “Gulf of Mexico” as the “Gulf of America.” The AP said that it would stick with the original name, but refers to Trump’s chosen name when relevant.
Although Trump issued an executive order to change the name of Lake Ontario, the change was not recognized by Canada. There are other geographic areas that are referred to by multiple names, but the AP says that it “strives to use terms recognizable to the broadest audience.”
Apple and Google changed the name to Lake America after Trump’s executive order.
After the AP declined to change the name to Gulf of America last year, the Trump administration barred the AP from its press pools. The AP sued and, although a district court judge found the administration’s actions a violation of the First Amendment, a decision is pending on appeal.
