Nireekshak THE credibility of a journalist cannot but have an inverse relationship with the extra-mural perquisites, patronage and rewards he enjoys. All the same, it is necessary to sustain the myth that all these do not compromise a journalist's independence. The relationship has to be elevated to the realm of metaphysics, like the one between aid- giving and aid-receiving nations. All aid is intervention per se but all aid is always described as 's'ringless' by both sides.