India, Feb. 4 -- There are journalists who report on a country. Then there are those rare souls who allow a country to speak through them. Sir Mark Tully, who passed away recently at the age of 90, belonged unquestionably to the latter category.

For decades, as the BBC's bureau chief in Delhi, Sir Mark was among the most trusted voices interpreting India to the world--and often, India to itself. But his death marks more than the loss of a distinguished broadcaster. It marks the passing of someone who understood that journalism, at its best, is an act of service, and who lived that belief through both his professional work and humanitarian commitments.

In an age when news cycles run on outrage and nuance is often the first casualty of de...