There was a time, not many years ago, when the editor of a newspaper could march into the news room and instruct the news editor to throw out advertisements to create space for news. These days junior staff from the advertising department, whose monthly entertainment allowance would be more than the miserable, spirit-crushing salary paid to junior sub-editors, are known to swagger into the news room and instruct the news editor to throw out stories to create space for advertisements.

Before I am accused of exaggeration, let me hasten to add that there are bound to be honourable exceptions. But as the cliche goes, exceptions prove the rule. Rare is the media house which has not abandoned old fashioned virtues to embrace modern day vices that militate against the foundational principles of journalism. It stands to reason that media should have suffered enormous erosion of credibility. This also explains why old-fashioned editors are an extinct species.