Terrorising journalism

"The role of a free press in a democracy cannot be overstated. It is to ensure that the government of the day is always under scrutiny, is answerable and accountable to the people who elect it. It is also to provide good and authentic information to citizens. In short, the quality of a country's media ends up deciding how informed its citizens are and how good the quality of its democracy is. Journalism is about speaking truth to power, and no democracy can survive if it needs superheroes to choose that vocation. As Bertolt Brecht reminded us, "Unhappy is the land that breeds no hero! No, 'unhappy is the land that needs a hero.'"