NUS Publishing and Institute of Policy Studies launched Cherian's new book yesterday, amidst the sad news of the passing of Singapore's former Foreign Minister, Mr Rajaratnam, who was a journalist and editor before he embarked on a career in politics. We observed a minute's silence to remember Mr Rajaratnam and his invaluable contributions to Singapore.

Cherian gave a short talk on his book, highlighting some inherent issues in journalims, e.g. myth of "objective" journalism, and pointing out that human ingenuity, not technological "hardware", is the main ingredient to more democratic dialogue and endeavours. This is clearly evident when he compared alternative media sites in Malaysia with those in Singapore.

You've got to read the book! :)