Trump's War on the Press

President Trump has threatened to end daily press briefings because the media "beats up" on his spokespersons who, in his estimation, are lovely people. Sean Hannity of Fox, taking his cue from the President (or perhaps it's the other way around), urges the President to end the briefings because the "fake" media dissects everything that is said (as opposed to swallowing it?) and uses the information to spin conspiracy theories, gain exposure and enhance its own public image.
Hannity's rationale for discontinuing what has been an American tradition for nearly a century, is that the President no longer needs the press given his access to social media and, in particular, his ability to get his message out on Twitter.
How can this so-called journalist be so ignorant of the time-honored and sacrosanct role of the press as a vital cog in our democratic structure? The press does not exist to serve the needs of presidents but rather to hold them to account and to inform the body politic of the actions and pronouncements of those charged with carrying out the will of the people.
This is an ominous turn of events. First the media is vilified and defamed. Now, there seems to be a movement to silence the press by cutting off its sources of information. Our democracy is in greater peril than it has ever been.