As the accountability against politicians and bureaucrats grinds on, there are occasional complaints in the press that two institutions have been left out, namely the military and the judiciary.

Actually, there is a third sacred cow that has not been touched, nor has it been mentioned very often: the press itself. There was a huge furore when General Pervez Musharraf once referred to 'lifafa journalism' during a press conference in New York lat year. (The 'lifafa' is the envelope in which hacks on the tack get their alleged kickbacks from their paymasters). The general was told to either name names or back off. In the event, our chief executive decided that discretion was the better part of valour.

But from time to time, this allegation has surfaced and ruffled the feathers of editorial writers and columnists who indignantly and forcefully defend the pristine integrity of their colleagues. A few days ago in Lahore at a small dinner party, an ex-federal minister disclosed that during his stint in government, the then head of an intelligence agency had given him lists of journalists who were supplied with booze and visas by the Indian high commissions; there was also a list of journalists supposedly on the payroll of the US embassy.

One only wishes the chief spook had included those journalists who get 'lifafas' from his and other federal and provincial agencies on a regular basis. Indeed, when he was the federal minister for information, Javed Jabbar had disclosed that his minister had previously kept an entire stable of newspapermen on its payroll and paid them off from its secret fund, but the present government had ended this practice.

It is a fact the print media has played a major role in the removal of elected governments, and in the final analysis, it is answerable to nobody. Each time one political party wins an election, its rivals begin a destabilizing campaign aimed at dislodging it, and are supported in their efforts by shadowy intelligence agencies through their team of journalists. All kinds of rumours and allegations are given currency, and after they have been widely reported, acquire a life of their own. Soon, mainstream newspapers are reporting them as the gospel truth, and the government is put on the defensive, using energy and political capital in denying real and concocted charges.To illustrate this point, I would ask readers to recall a particularly bizarre charge that was laid at Asif Zardari's door during Benazir Bhutto's first stint. A British businessman of Pakistani origin claimed that he had collected funds in the UK for a charitable hospital here, but this money had been extorted from his by Asif Zardari's henchmen who had then proceeded to tie a bomb around his leg and drove him to the airport from where he caught a plane to London.

When the story appeared, all hell broke loose. Lurid details were published and the prime minister furiously denied the charge as did her husband. The Washington Post carried a long report filed by its reporter in Pakistan. All of us were convinced that where there was smoke, there must be some fire. But when the PPP government fell, and Zardari was tried for this alleged crime a curious story emerged. Apparently, the complainant's wife had been allotted a plot of land 'on compassionate grounds' in Lahore by the then opposition leader and Punjab chief minister, Nawaz Sharif. And when cross-examined by the defence lawyer, Aitizaz Ahsan, the accuser tipped up every time he opened his month. For instance, when asked at what point he ignored the airport authorities that he had a bomb tied to him, he had no answer.

It is an unfortunate fact that many newspaper owners grossly underpay their staff, closing their eyes to the corruption that goes on, or indeed profiting by it.

Having no doubt angered many colleagues, let me hasten to add that there are fortunately many honourable men and women in the profession who have fearlessly exposed the truth and turned down all bribes and blandishments. A number of writers, editors and publishers have stood up to authoritarian governments and suffered as a consequence. When we talk of the freedom of the press in Pakistan, it is important to remember that it was wrested from autocrats by brave journalists, and was not handed to them on a platter.

However, we must also be honest enough to admit that there is much wrong with our profession, and the beginning of the rot lies in the pay structure. For far too many owners, this is a business as any other in which you squeeze the employee and screw the consumer to maximize profits. For ill-paid (or unpaid) hacks, the temptation to join the gravy train smut be overwhelming. I suppose I can afford to moralize on the subject as I do not depend on journalism for a living. But until we openly debate and denounce the corruption in journalism, we cannot really condemn it in other institutions.