So it's like a restaurant putting out a policy that a food critic cannot take pictures/write about the food (a "professional" purpose) unless it lets the chef know ahead of time when he's going to be there?

So much for free markets (where asymmetric information is a market failure). AA does not want buyers to know what they're actually offering, only PR lies and fabricated photo-perfect flights, North Korean style.

Is this legal in the U.S.? I presumed the press was free in the U.S.A.