Is it a case of closing ranks in defence of "one of our own" or a continuation of a policy of quietly getting rid of scrums without embarrassing the publishing house concerned? If either is indeed the case, it would sadly be a deadly blow to our democracy.

The media play an important role of pricking the conscience of any society. With our country emerging from a past littered with censorship, subjectivity and embeddedness, one had hoped that the gains made in building our media's credibility would be guarded jealously.

Our media has positioned itself as "a watchdog against corruption", nogal!

Taking bribes is an affront to journalistic ethics, let alone societal morality. The reported shenanigans only serve to irretrievably damage the media's public standing.

It also breaks the trust towards media. These scumbags have brought our profession into disrepute and the sector can ill afford to simply look away and hope this scandal will go away.

Just mutely expressing disgust or rapping them on their knuckles is not a sufficient deterrent.

This should not be left to employers to act on. Stern measures such as black-listing should be applied.

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