• by Philip Rosenstein , Staff Writer, December 7, 2016

Donald Trump has shown contempt for the press throughout his campaign, with little to no improvement in his treatment of reporters now that he is the president-elect. This utter disrespect and aggression toward one of a democracy’s most important pillars may continue into his presidency.

Conservative radio show host Laura Ingraham has been floated as a top contender for White House press secretary, the public face of the administration. Ingraham met on Tuesday with the president-elect at Trump Tower. Her impressive resume includes working as a Supreme Court law clerk and for a big New York law firm. She has also created successful conservative news outlets and is a regular contributor for Fox News.

Ingraham’s views fit well with those of Trump, particularly when it comes to disdain for the news media. They share a fondness for the alt-right, or what she calls “new media.”

Speaking with Politico, Ingraham explained: “New media has spent enormous time and resources covering Benghazi, the FBI investigation, Wikileaks, Planned Parenthood and the corrupt Justice Department.”

“None of these things and others would have come to light without the New Media. ABC, NBC, The Washington Post are worse than irrelevant. We now must make fun of them.”

The question of how Trump will treat the press is important to understanding the administration’s interaction with the American people. President Barack Obama’s White House held a daily press briefing throughout the past almost eight years. He allowed reporters of all political stripes to ask tough questions of the president’s policies.

As a predictor of how a Trump West Wing will act, all we have is the campaign. During it, Trump demonized the press, he even singled out individual reporters launching attacks that were furthered by his supporters.

To intimidate the press is inherently un-American. It means intimidating the representatives of the American citizenry; they double as the watchdogs to power. With Steve Bannon in the administration, and Ingraham as a possible press secretary, we can predict favoritism for certain news outlets and the beginning of the dismantling of a free press.