When journalism is treated as just another widget in a commercial enterprise, the focus isn't on truth, verification or public good, but productivity and output.

Public relations is at best promotion or manipulation, at worst evasion and outright deception. What it is never about is a free flow of information.

The royal family are protected from public accountability by law.

If I can't do something for the public good, what the hell am I doing?

CCTV is seen either as a symbol of Orwellian dystopia or a technology that will lead to crime-free streets and civil behaviour. While arguments continue, there is very little solid data in the public domain about the costs, quantity and effectiveness of surveillance.

Well-reported news is a public good; bad news is bad for everyone.