Many Australian journalists think Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Ambassador Kevin Rudd did a wonderful job this week in handling the corrupt narcissist who runs the United States, Donald Trump.

Of course, forelock tugging to monarchs is an essential in the Australian political leaders’ toolbox (former prime ministers Paul Keating and Gough Whitlam excepted).

But not only did the two of them diminish themselves and Australia — the world’s view that we are the 51st state (albeit we might technically be 52 – behind Israel) was well and truly reinforced — but they were prepared to sell out a core value, freedom of the press and opposition to censorship in doing do so.

The decision, obviously initiated by the vengeful Trump and happily acquiesced to by the incrementalist and timid prime minister we have, that ensured the celebrated ABC journalist John Lyons was not in the press pool for the circus in the White House on Monday, did not seem to bother Albanese or Rudd.

That Lyons, the ABC’s head in Washington, was not allowed to attend the meeting must be unprecedented. Who can remember the last time a journalist travelling with an Australian prime minister to Washington was censored in this way?

The shabby treatment of Lyons was because he rightly asked Trump last month, before a 4 Corners program on the issue, how much richer he had become since being back in the White House. An entirely legitimate question given that, as Lyons wrote a few weeks later, “critics say [Trump is] operating like no president has before, mixing business and politics in a way that may violate the US Constitution and threaten the very foundations of American democracy".

The 4 Corners program that Lyons put together, and which aired earlier this month, revealed Trump’s overt preparedness to leverage his office for the enrichment of himself and his family.

But as we know, Trump, the self-proclaimed sun king, berated Lyons with his childish “I going to dob on you to your prime minister” type jibe. For daring to ask a question that was not either fawning or timid of this president, Lyons was to be banished.

And Trump got his way. The ABC too, in the sadly customary timid way it deals with matters these days, has said little other than, “oh well we tried”.

So what do we learn from this? That the business of getting on with the corrupt leader of Australia’s closest friend matters much more than standing firm on press freedom and opposition to censorship. It does not matter that the conduct of the president is at once petulant and sinister, so long as the minerals deals, which are not worth the paper they are written on, get done. And most of all, do not upset the man. Whatever level of sycophancy is required, Albanese, Rudd and co can accommodate it.

Freedom of speech and opposition to censoring critical voices should be a bedrock principle for Australian political leaders and one they should defend whenever they see it threatened. Lyons deserved support. Not to be tossed overboard.

But as Lyons said yesterday, Albanese’s office “didn’t really want to say anything much about it. They’re all a bit vague in their reasons. It was all done verbally. They had nothing in writing. So we are left in the dark as to why they wouldn’t allow me to have access to a meeting today". Gutless is the best word.

If we were a truly independent nation charting our own course in the world, we would be aghast at the treatment of Lyons. But it’s just a side story for most of the media in this country.

Consider the response to the news from Andrew Probyn, ex-ABC and now Channel 9 political correspondent. He told the Australian Financial Review that the rules and conventions about journalist access during Australian prime ministers’ visits to Washington exist no more. “Trump is an unconventional president, and the rules of yesteryear are exactly that.” What Probyn should have said is that Albanese let down his nation by agreeing to soothe Trump’s irrational anger.

But then he is not the only Australian journalist sacrificed by a prime minister so as to appease Washington. When Julia Gillard was signing us up to the dangerous China containment strategy back in 2010 through allowing US troops to be stationed in Darwin, she wanted the WikiLeaks founder and publisher Julian Assange thrown to the wolves. Assange had revealed serious war crimes by the US and its allies in Afghanistan and Iraq.

For all of those patting the prime minister and ambassador Rudd on the back for their efforts this week in making sure we remain the 51st state, shame on you. Both Albanese and Rudd sold out freedom of the press.

The views expressed in this article may or may not reflect those of Pearls and Irritations.