President-elect Donald Trump’s use of Twitter to have a direct conversation with the American people “freaks the mainstream media out” and represents a fundamental shift in how an administration disseminates information, the incoming White House press secretary said Sunday morning.

Appearing on ABC’s “This Week,” Sean Spicer said major news organizations are transfixed by Mr. Trump’s Twitter account because it marginalizes their power.

But he also admonished media outlets to get used to it, because the president-elect’s social media bully pulpit isn’t going away anytime soon.

“I think it freaks the mainstream media out that he has this following of over 45-plus million people that follow him on social media, that he can have a direct conversation. He doesn’t have to have it funneled through the media,” Mr. Spicer said. “Business as usual is over, as I’ve said before. There’s a new sheriff in town, and he’s going to do things first and foremost for the American people.”

Top press outlets fear that Mr. Trump — who has been outright hostile to the media since the early days of his presidential campaign, often singling out individual reporters and branding the entire Fourth Estate as dishonest — will restrict reporters’ access to his administration.

Mr. Trump also has suggested making it easier to sue news outlets for the stories they publish, raising fears of a First Amendment crackdown under the incoming administration.

Mr. Spicer promised Sunday there will continue to be normal White House press briefings, though it’s unclear whether they’ll continue in the current format.

“Some of them will be on camera, some of them will be off. But absolutely, we understand the importance” of press briefings, he said. “We’ll use every tool possible. And absolutely, we’ll sit down and make sure that on a daily basis the press is informed.”

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