<b>Sunanda K Datta-Ray:</b> Being critical, not complimentary

That should be the attitude of journalists towards those in power

It’s not every day that a retiring American president’s farewell press conference has a particular resonance for this country. It’s not every day that a new American president’s indifference to media freedom seems so dismally familiar. The common factor of court favourites is particularly pertinent at a time when the Delhi Durbar is reportedly acquiring sophisticated equipment to eavesdrop on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Tumblr and even chat application accounts like Wickr, Glyph and WhatsApp to keep tabs on the cheeky social media our political masters abhor.

I am dwelling only on Barack Obama’s comments on the media because they highlight