US Treasury blocks certain journalists from G20 meeting

Key Points:

• The U.S. Treasury Department has denied credentials to certain journalists from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Bloomberg News for the G20 finance ministers’ meeting in Asheville, North Carolina, without providing an explanation.
• Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated the decision was not related to journalists' viewpoints, but affected reporters who have long covered Treasury and international finance, raising concerns about press freedom.
• The New York Times condemned the exclusion as an attempt to evade public scrutiny on critical global economic issues, while Bloomberg News criticized it as undermining media freedom and accountability.
• This move reflects ongoing tensions between the Trump administration and the media, including previous restrictions on Pentagon press access and legal disputes over White House press pool privileges.
• The G20 meeting, hosted by Bessent, includes top finance officials from major economies and precedes the December G20 summit at President Trump’s golf club in Florida.