Excellently edited by Nalini Rajan, an associate professor at the Asian College of Journalism in Chennai, this volume comprises of 26 write-ups by leading Indian journalists, writers, journalism teachers and media practitioners. The book, in her own words, reflects a "fascinating spectrum of practices, trends and visions within the journalistic profession. When I got all the papers, I was quite excited by the variety of ways in which the craft is practised and viewed. It is that excitement that I wish to impart to the reader, both inside and outside the profession." She has scored brilliantly in achieving that goal.

The volumed is divided into four thematic sections--the core values, specialisation within the craft, the constraints of practice, and implications for the future--preceded by an introduction by Rajan, who has authored a number of noteworthy books.

The first section, on the core values, starts with a lucid historical overview of the Indian press by B.R.P. Bhaskar. The journalists of Bangladesh can learn a thing or two from the accounts of how the major Indian newspapers pursuing radical editorial missions during the colonial period were tamed one by one by the emerging bourgeoisie. However, unlike our unions that prefer kowtowing to political parties to professional independence, Indian journalists pursued press freedom, not bestowed by the Indian Constitution, through litigation and judicial dictates.

We can also learn a few things about ethics from the straightforward article of N. Ram, the editor-owner of 'The Hindu,' where he explains what his family-owned daily stands for. He has added five ethical principles--truth-telling, freedom and independence, justice, humaneness and contribution to the social good--to the journalistic functions articulated by Noam Chomsky and Edward S Herman the credible-information, critical-adversarial or watchdog, educational and agenda-building functions.

In this regard, Rajan remarks in the introduction, "Admittedly, the idea of ethics in journalism is being challenged today by market-driven objectives. Nevertheless, as most of the articles here inform us, it may be an ideal still worth pursuing." To my knowledge, not a single news organisation in Bangladesh has adopted a code of conduct. The vulnerability of our newsmen to threat, harassment, assault and even murder has also something to do with the wide range of unethical, immoral and often illegal practices many of them are used to. They are two sides of the same coin. We can re-learn the maxim that freedom, security, respect, and credibility of the press are closely tied to ethical journalism.

The third article, the passionate account of the spectacular rise of a nearly bankrupt Prabhat Khabar to the number one Hindi daily in Jharkhand by its editor, Harivansh, illustrates the above case most singularly. Because of its relevance to the Bangladesh situation it is worth dilating on at length here. "When it was quietly agreed in this age of free market and globalisation that ideals and values have no place in journalism, Prabhat Khabar considered ideals and values to be its very basis," states Harivansh. Through an arduous journey since the 1990s, the newspaper evolved as "the torchbearer for various ethical agitations in civil society. It did not imbibe the liberal and market-oriented view of the 'consumer as king', but accepted the Gandhian principle that 'readers are the masters'." Much of the daily's success, he writes, came from the paper's efforts to reach out to its readers. It conducted reader-journalist interactive programmes like 'readers' courts.' It linked itself to information about people's movements, and carried out voters' awareness campaign during elections: "It thus not only became a part of the cities but also of the villages."

How did this fund-starved team of journalists withstand a series of aggressive marketing drives by well-off newspaper houses? Simple: "Prabhat Khabar has always associated itself with public issues and conducted a direct conversation with the people," that "the experience of getting involved in social issues empowered Prabhat Khabar. And such power or strength cannot be obtained from market publicity or by giving gifts."

In my view, this tale of "a very bold experiment" alone renders the book a must-read for every working and aspiring journalist, and journalism teachers and trainers. Rajan is right in saying that "Against all the media-related shibboleths of the inevitability of tabloidisation, dumbing down and marketing pragmatism, the story of Prabhat Khabar is a tribute to the journalist's faith in the values of the profession. The paper's success teaches us an important lesson--commitment to an ideal, rather than to profit making, is all-important. By linking information to credibility and political activism, Prabhat Khabar's success shines like a beacon in the last decade, which has been characterised by media sensationalism and economic liberalism."

The fourth number in the volume, on investigative journalism by Dilip D'Souza, deals with this ethical issue related to the extent to which a journalist should protect his/her sources and honour their privacy rights, even at the cost of social good. "The answer will depend," Rajan notes, "on how the media differentiates between the 'social good' and the 'selling good'; or between editorial and marketing functions."

N. Ram puts it very succinctly: "Great newspapers with a soul know where to draw the lakshman rekha and how to give primacy to the editorial functions."

The space allotted for this review does not allow discussing the wide range of topics delved into by all the writers. Suffice it say that these include some standard, as well as unconventional, views on gender, caste, and communal issues in journalism, journalistic practice in war and peace, censorship and repression by the state, the role of media technology and future trends, sports journalism, urban reporting, and alternative media like community radio.

The message that Rajan seems to convey between the lines, through the selection of articles, seems to be this: Journalists must go by principle and develop the ability to keep away from subservience to money, muscle, and power. Self-censorship, privileging advertisers and sponsors, suppressing or inflating facts to please others or to serve self-interests are all impediments to freedom and the status of the Fourth State. In Philip Meyer's phrase: "To cope with the acceleration of social change in today's world, journalism must become [a] social science in a hurry."

Azfar Aziz is senior sub-editor, The Daily Star.