India, Nov. 2 -- "Good morning, sir! I'm a journalist investigating the bridge your department built."

"Wonderful! Has it won an award?"

"It has fallen into the river, sir. But before writing about the contract, I thought I should seek your consent."

There was a thoughtful silence. Somewhere at the other end, I imagined a chair being pulled closer to a desk. Here, at last, was a journalist who understood how a healthy relationship between the press and the powerful should function.

"What exactly would you like to publish?"

"The amount sanctioned, the amount spent, and how your brother's company received the contract."

"My brother is a private individual."

"He built a public bridge." "Yes, but he did so very privately."

This imagi...