HEAR THAT? IT'S THE SOUND OF NORMALCY. WELCOME:

At the end of Sean Spicer's debut press briefing at the dawn of the Donald Trump presidency, a journalist remarked to me: "I feel like I'm back at school." I replied: "I feel like I'm back in Zimbabwe," alluding to my days as an Africa correspondent reporting on the autocratic Robert Mugabe.

Four years on, Jen Psaki delivered the first briefing of Joe Biden's administration from the same lectern in the same room. Spicer redux it was not.

Just compare their remarks about the press. "Some members of the media were engaged in deliberately false reporting," Spicer scowled in reference to Trump's inauguration, adding darkly: "We're going to hold the press accountable."

Psaki, by contrast, began the new era with a smile: "It's an honour to be here with all of you. When the president asked me to serve in this role, we talked about the importance of bringing truth and transparency back to the briefing room."

Later she added: "I have deep respect for the role of a free and independent press in our democracy."

The 42-year-old's maiden briefing on Wednesday was radical in its normality and startling in its civility. 

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