Why powerful politicians fear relentless watch of an independent press

An independent press remains a vital watchdog against corruption, abuse of power and threats to democracy. [Courtesy]

Growing up, I wanted to become a lawyer and dazzle people with bombastic Latin expressions like mutatis mutandis, res ipsa loquitur, de jure, de facto, juris et de jure, and so forth. But life happens, and here I am—a mouthpiece not of the gods, but of a disgruntled public.

Being a scribe carries a historical cost traceable to 1 Kings. King Ahab wanted the vineyard of Naboth, a commoner, but Naboth refused to sell his ancestral land. Queen Jezebel forged letters in the king’s name and hired false witnesses to accuse Naboth of blasphemy. Naboth was stoned to death, and Ahab seized the vineyard. When Prophet Elijah confronted King Ahab, the king did not ask whether the charge was true; he asked whether the messenger was the troubler of Israel. Confronted by unflattering truth, power invariably interrogates the accuser rather than the crime.