AP’s Olympics Story Shows How Its Reporting Actually Pushes Left-Wing Narratives

The Associated Press wants you to believe it is the last neutral institution in American journalism. It claims to have no agenda and just reports the facts. 

Then you read how AP writes about politics, and you realize the "report the facts" thing falls apart once a story touches a topic where the left-wing media has decided there is only one acceptable moral posture.

Take AP’s recent Winter Olympics story involving Chloe Kim, Eileen Gu, and American freeskier Hunter Hess. The AP says, in the first paragraph, that U.S. President Donald Trump "bashed" Hess over "the U.S. president’s heightened crackdown on immigrants." That framing is not neutral. 

It is emotional.

The AP used clearly loaded language about President Donald Trump and "immigration enforcement" in reporting tied to the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.

(Getty Images)

AP is immediately setting the tone for how it wants the audience to feel because the outlet said "immigrant crackdown," which it knows is an incorrect framing of the issue. Trump, his administration and ICE aren't "cracking down" on legal immigrants. They are actively trying to root out illegal immigrants who entered the country en masse under the Biden presidency. 

But AP didn't stop there. Later in the story, the author writes that the crackdown "disrupted thousands of lives of immigrants and U.S. citizens." Once again, AP is telling the reader how to feel. They are painting a picture of legal immigrants and U.S. citizens as targets of ICE; it is not accurate to imply ICE targets legal immigrants and citizens, even if they are sometimes affected by ICE enforcement operations. 

How AP’s "Immigrant Crackdown" Framing Sets the Tone

The bigger issue is that the AP is a wire service. Its phrasing gets copied and pasted across the country on many major websites and in major newspapers. So, when the AP decides the story is about an "immigrant crackdown," that decision becomes the default frame for readers who never stop to ask what exactly is being described.

RELATED: AP Furious About The Lack Of 'Diversity' In Upcoming Winter Olympics

The quote selection follows the same pattern.

Hess is the center of this controversy, yet AP gives readers one line: "Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S." This is the only Hess quote in the entire story that's ostensibly about the controversy initially created by his comments. 

Convenient, right?

"Everything" is a purposefully vague word. What does he mean by "everything"? What is his actual stance beyond that one sentence? AP never tells you, and that's on purpose. It is softening his words to keep readers on his side and against President Trump. 

Then the AP moves to Chloe Kim, another person in the story for whom the AP wants to drum up sympathy from uninformed readers.

United States Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim speaks to "reporters" during the 2026 Milan-Cortina Games. 

(Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

The story describes Kim as "the two-time Olympic gold medalist whose parents are South Korean immigrants," and quotes her saying: "My parents being immigrants from Korea, this one definitely hits pretty close to home."

But AP stops right where the most relevant context begins. The story does not say whether Kim’s parents are legal immigrants. It does not distinguish legal immigration from illegal immigration even once. 

That omission is the point.

Additionally, why did none of the "reporters" in the room ask the obvious follow-up to Kim?

"Chloe, are your parents legal immigrants to the United States? And, if so, are you saying legal immigrants should be worried about immigration enforcement?" a responsible and balanced journalist would ask. 

Kim is implying that illegal immigration enforcement is near and dear to her heart because of her parents. That likely means one of two things: (1.) her parents are illegal immigrants or (2.) she believes legal immigrants are in danger of deportation. Either one is newsworthy, but there was no follow-up by the AP or any other reporter in Italy.  

OutKick Tries to Get Answers from AP 

OutKick emailed the AP with a few basic questions, hoping to clarify some of their editorial decisions. 

Here are the questions: 

1. In the story, the framing is "immigration crackdown" and "immigrants and U.S. citizens," without specifying legal status. Is that a deliberate wording choice tied to AP Style guidance on avoiding "illegal" as a label and using it only for actions? If so, can you explain how immigrating to the United States illegally is not an action?
2. The piece includes one Hess quote: "Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S." Other outlets appear to describe additional context from Hess (for example, "mixed emotions" about representing the U.S.). Did AP have fuller remarks on the record, and if so, why did the story use only one line? Was it an editing decision for length or story angle?
3. The story identifies Kim’s parents as "South Korean immigrants," and Kim says, "My parents being immigrants from Korea…" Did AP verify whether her parents are legal immigrants (or any details beyond "immigrants")? If AP did verify legal status, I’m curious why the story didn’t note that ICE targets vary by legal status and that enforcement actions are generally framed as aimed at unauthorized presence. If AP did not verify their status, was there any consideration to providing that context?

Here is the exact response that Patrick Maks, Director of Media Relations & Corporate Communications for AP, gave OutKick: 

"For decades political statements have often been a part of the Olympics and AP will cover them as they occur, but the major focus of our coverage in Italy is on the athletic achievements, triumphs, and trials of the competitors. We are proud that our journalists are telling these stories through photos and video and stories, when so many major outlets are unable to send their journalists to Italy this year." 

What? 

Calling that a non-answer is offensive to non-answers. We're not sure what to call that. So, we followed up and asked if the AP was declining to answer our questions. It did not respond. 

AP No Longer Simply "Reports Facts" 

Silence does not prove motive. But it does highlight the modern media dynamic: big outlets make loaded framing choices, then avoid explaining them because explanation forces accountability.

And accountability is the one thing the "objective" press never seems eager to provide.

Americans have lost trust in legacy media because even when the legacy media attempts to be neutral it can't help but construct left-wing narratives through word choices, and selective context.

The AP can pretend that it has no bias, but there's overwhelming evidence to the contrary. This one story about the Olympics highlights a broader systemic issue within the organization. 

If the AP wants to argue that Trump shouldn't enforce U.S. immigration laws, it should make its case and label it for what it is: opinion. If AP wants to simply report what happened at the Olympics, it should do that. What it cannot do is build an opinion-based narrative and label it as objective truth. 

That's not journalism; it's propaganda.