The US Treasury Department has denied credentials to certain journalists for a G20 finance ministerial meeting taking place in Asheville, North Carolina, marking another instance of restricted media access under the Trump administration.
Reporters from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Bloomberg were barred from attending the Group of Twenty gathering, according to a report by The New York Times.
The Treasury Department has not provided an explanation for the exclusions. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told the Associated Press in an interview on Sunday that the decision was not based on political bias or editorial stance.
Among those denied access was Alan Rappeport, a Times reporter who has covered both the Treasury Department and international economic summits since 2017. In contrast, another Times correspondent, Berlin bureau chief Jim Tankersley, was granted permission to attend.
The New York Times criticized the move, stating that blocking American journalists from covering a domestic event “represents more than another troubling attempt to weaken independent journalism—it is a clear effort to dodge public oversight.”
The organization also emphasized the importance of the meeting, noting that topics such as the ongoing conflict in Iran, economic sanctions, bond markets, and inflation are on the agenda, making the gathering critical for understanding global economic trends and their impact on the American people. “Excluding specific journalists or entire news organizations undermines public trust and infringes upon press freedoms,” the statement added.
Bloomberg News echoed these concerns, asserting that denying access to the meeting “weakened media liberty and reduced transparency.”
The Wall Street Journal did not offer a comment.
Secretary Bessent is presiding over the G20 ministerial, scheduled to run from Saturday through Tuesday, bringing together finance ministers, central bank governors, and high-ranking officials from leading global economies. Separately, this year’s G20 summit, which includes heads of state, is set to take place in December at Trump National Doral in Miami, Florida.
Tensions between the second Trump administration and the US media have been mounting, manifesting in public disputes and legal battles.
Earlier this year, for example, the Department of Defense announced that its press office would be designated as a classified facility, effectively barring journalists from accessing it. This followed the Pentagon’s requirement that reporters agree to government-imposed limits on their reporting, which led many major news outlets to vacate the premises last fall.
(FRANCE 24 with AP)
