US restricted access for some media to the G20 meeting
esmaspäev, 31. august 2026 09:20
The U.S. Department of the Treasury denied press credentials to several journalists from The New York Times, Bloomberg, and The Wall Street Journal ahead of the G20 finance ministers and central bank governors meeting that began on August 31 in North Carolina.
According to the Taiwanese outlet Newtalk新聞, the U.S. is this year's G20 chair, and the Treasury Department is responsible for the meeting's media arrangements. Bloomberg reported that all of its journalists based in the U.S., France, Italy, Japan, and China who applied for accreditation were denied credentials.
Bloomberg criticized the decision, stating that excluding journalists harms press freedom and public oversight. The company announced it will continue to seek full access and will proceed with covering the meeting.
The New York Times reported that one of its journalists with long-term experience in financial policy was denied a permit, while the newspaper's Berlin bureau chief Jim Tankersley was accredited. The paper called the U.S. government's decision pressure on independent journalism and argued that it makes it harder for the public to monitor the government's decision-making process on important international issues.
The meeting's agenda includes the war in Iran and sanctions, global bond markets, inflation, and trade balance issues. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is expected to use the meeting to promote the Trump administration's global economic policy, including calling on countries to reassess trade relations with China and discussing sanctions related to Iran.
The Treasury Department denied that media access depended on political views. According to the department, nearly 300 media representatives from about 12 countries are attending the meeting, and journalists who received permits have extensive access to decision-makers. A department spokesperson stated that the press should not prioritize "click counts, engagement, or sensational impact," but did not further explain why some experienced financial policy journalists were left without permits.
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