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U.S. Treasury bars two major American news organizations from G20 finance summit as Trump seeks journalist sanctions
🇷🇴 Romania /Elections & Politics

U.S. Treasury bars two major American news organizations from G20 finance summit as Trump seeks journalist sanctions

From Adevărul · () Romanian

Translated from Romanian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • The U.S. Treasury denied event access to journalists from Bloomberg, The New York Times and reportedly The Wall Street Journal at a G20 finance summit in Asheville, North Carolina.
  • Bloomberg and The New York Times said the accreditation decisions harmed press freedom and public transparency, while the Treasury said it had accredited nearly 300 journalists and expected factual coverage.
  • The episode came as Donald Trump pursued action against an NBC journalist and continued his administration’s clashes with media organizations it considers overly critical.

The G20 finance summit in Asheville, North Carolina, opened with an unusual restriction on some of the country’s leading financial and political reporters. Bloomberg received no access permits, while The New York Times said its journalist covering the Treasury was also denied accreditation. The newspaper also reported that a Wall Street Journal journalist was refused access.

Denying access to this meeting, which indisputably serves the global public interest, harms press freedom and transparency to the public.

— Bloomberg spokespersonThe spokesperson criticized the Treasury’s decision to deny Bloomberg journalists access to the summit.

The Treasury said it had accredited nearly 300 members of the press and expected them to provide reporting that was “factual,” rather than “sensationalist.” It said journalists would receive privileged access to political leaders throughout the event, adding that such access carried a responsibility to follow established journalistic standards.

Bloomberg challenged that explanation. A spokesperson said denying access to a meeting serving “the indisputable interest of the global public” harmed press freedom and transparency. The New York Times described the decision as “an attack on press freedom” and “a blatant attempt to evade public scrutiny.”

An attack on press freedom

— The New York TimesThe newspaper’s statement condemned the accreditation refusal.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent made a brief appearance before accredited reporters on Sunday evening alongside Jamie Dimon, chief executive of JPMorgan Chase. The summit brought together G20 finance ministers amid tense trade and geopolitical conditions.

A blatant attempt to evade public scrutiny

— The New York TimesThe newspaper characterized the access decision in its statement.

The accreditation dispute coincided with broader confrontations between the Trump administration and news organizations it views as excessively critical. Donald Trump said Sunday that he wanted to report an NBC journalist to the Federal Communications Commission over coverage of candidates he supports in the midterm elections. The president has also repeatedly challenged journalists’ questions and sharply criticized media outlets during interviews and news conferences.

Factual, not sensationalist

— U.S. Treasury spokespersonThe Treasury described the type of coverage it expected from accredited journalists.
About this summary

Originally published by Adevărul in Romanian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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