US Treasury Denies G-20 Press Access

The US Treasury Department has barred specific journalists from covering this week’s G-20 finance ministers’ meeting in Asheville, North Carolina. By withholding credentials from reporters at The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Bloomberg News without explanation, the administration is deepening an ongoing confrontation over institutional transparency and independent media access.

Editorial·August 31, 2026·reads: 2,960

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who is hosting the summit, dismissed claims of political bias, telling The Associated Press that the decision has nothing to do with a reporter's point of view. The exclusions remain selective; while the Treasury denied accreditation to veteran Times reporter Alan Rappeport, it granted access to his colleague, Berlin bureau chief Jim Tankersley. Bloomberg News confirmed that multiple staff members across its international bureaus were also blocked from the event.

Media organizations have responded with sharp criticism. The New York Times characterized the move as an attempt to evade public scrutiny on critical issues like inflation and international sanctions, calling it an assault on press freedoms. This incident follows a pattern of restricted access under the second Trump administration, including the Pentagon’s recent move to designate its press office a classified space and ongoing legal disputes over White House press pool access.