NEW DELHI, Dec. 19 -- The word 'prophet' is familiar to the people of different faiths. According to the Bible and the Judeo-Christian tradition, a prophet is someone specially called by God to speak in His name. Often his or her mission entails speaking the truth to those in power, pointing out falsehood and error, besides exposing malpractices and abuse of power.

Obviously, such a task entails a lot of risk. Journalism today is a profession under duress. History is tainted with the blood of journalists who have been killed because they spoke the truth. Journalists, no doubt, are prophets. A journalist by his or her profession and personal commitment is called to uphold what is true, what concerns the well-being of the people who do no...