US Treasury bars some reporters from G20, outlets say

The US Treasury Department has barred several reporters from major news outlets from covering this week's G20 finance meeting in Asheville, North Carolina, media organizations said.

The United States holds the rotating G20 presidency this year, and the Treasury Department is managing access to the talks, which bring together finance ministers and central bankers from major economies.

Bloomberg News said Sunday that its reporters based in the United States, France, Italy, Japan and China were denied access and that Treasury offered no explanation for rejecting its accreditation requests. A Bloomberg News spokesperson said denying access “undermines media freedom and public accountability”.

The New York Times reported Saturday that its economic policy reporter was excluded despite years of experience covering such meetings, while its Berlin bureau chief received credentials. A Times spokesperson called the rejection an attempt to avoid public scrutiny.

A Treasury spokesperson said the meeting would welcome nearly 300 media representatives from around a dozen countries and that reporters would have a high level of access to policymakers. The spokesperson said that access came with a responsibility to report factual information consistent with established journalistic standards.