I have always respected the critical nature of your paper's journalism but I believe that the letter 'Gagged press stymies country's progress' (Jan 4), was nothing more than being critically biased.

There must be no doubt that newspapers have a duty to report the truth. Equally, if not more so, the truth has to be able to stand up to scrutiny.

Without addressing the absence of hard evidence to substantiate the news reported, the writer just conveniently suggested that the press is gagged and twisted by the powerful manipulators, usually the government.

From the quick unfolding of events leading to the prompt resignation of the editors responsible, one would wonder why these journalists would give up the 'truth' so easily. Was the reported news merely heresay or sensationalised for selling more newspapers? Where is the hard evidence?

Surely no reader, more so Malaysians, would ignore the hard evidence that supports the news. In the absence of it, the piece of news is nothing more than hearsay.

Contrary to the writer's suggestion that honest, diligent and intrepid journalists are fast becoming an endangered species, one wonders if this breed of journalists who report news that can stand up to scrutiny isn't already an endangered species.