Those who dislike the press may applaud President Trump’s directive that White House press secretary Sarah Sanders not conduct a daily briefing for the White House press corps. But everyone who cares about democracy should be alarmed. The essence of a democracy is that power belongs to the people and is given from them to the government. As Francis Bacon said centuries ago, knowledge is power. Anything that keeps knowledge from the people, therefore, should be opposed.

Admittedly, Sanders’ infrequent press briefings rarely yield information that contributes to the public’s knowledge of what the Trump administration is doing. Indeed, they have deteriorated into carnival-like spectacles, proving virtually useless in terms of dispensing information to the public. She almost always seems bothered by having to answer reporters’ questions and rarely hides her contempt. She can be snarky and is frequently dishonest. In fairness, some reporters sink to her level of inappropriate behavior by preening for the cameras, engaging in a debate rather than questioning and asking “gotcha” questions which are designed for the sole purpose of making her look bad. Who wouldn’t want to end that?