Arbory, Castletown and Malew MHK Jason Moorhouse says he has been portrayed in the press as the first pantomime villain of 2017.

He accused Isle of Man Newspapers of misinterpreting his suggestion in Tynwald that the Chief Minister should retain editorial control for interviews on matters of national importance.

We suggested that Mr Moorhouse was effectively seeking to gag the press.

In his message to constituents, the MHK posted: ’Unfortunately, I became the first pantomime villain of 2017 as my question was interpreted by some as press freedoms being under threat.

’Given the divergence between what was being written and what was said, I decided to stand well back.

’In some respects this option was frustrating, but press freedoms must be protected.The incident does go to show how easy it can be for materials to be misinterpreted.’

Hansard records Mr Moorhouse as saying: ’I would like to ask the Chief Minister, given the importance of getting across the correct message, has the time arrived for the Chief Minister’s Office to retain editorial rights where interviews of national importance are given?

This is what we reported: ’Given the importance of getting the correct message across, has the time arrived for the Chief Minister’s Office to retain editorial rights where interviews of national importance are given?’