Trump is wrong to ban the press

Last week, the White House barred several major news organisations from a press briefing. This action was heavy-handed and unwise. A democracy relies upon allowing the free press to scrutinise government; a lack of scrutiny insulates governments from alternative opinions that they sometimes need to hear.

Donald Trump shows no signs of softening his political style now that he is in the White House. His agenda is populist; parts of it are laudable. In Tuesday night’s speech to Congress he will have a chance to lay out a legislative programme that, hopefully, will include a radical tax package to stimulate the US economy. The UK Government is right to try to court Mr Trump, partly in hope of influencing his foreign policy.

It is also critical, however, that the new president is held to account. This newspaper has experience of being locked out of briefings: our reporters were, for instance, not invited to Alex Salmond’s resignation statement. It is typically a sign of weakness, not of the self-confidence that Mr Trump otherwise exudes. A healthy back-and-forth brings transparency to public life. And if politicians wish to criticise their interrogators, so be it – that itself is an exercise of free expression. They should not use their authority or legislation to try to silence journalists. The Left has tried to do the latter in this country – something this newspaper and others stridently resist.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump may find that his anti-media crusade backfires. A jilted press makes for an angry press. Any hope for more generous coverage from some of those outlets banned from the conference is lost. The war between the White House and the American media will only escalate.