1 Prem Sikka and the Media: Using the media to hold accountants to account Stewart Lawrence, Umesh Sharma and Mary Low Department of Accounting, University of Waikato, New Zealand Abstract Purpose: The aim is to understand why a professor of accounting uses the media to expose the failure/ shortcomings of the accounting profession. Using Prem Sikka’s writings, the paper argues that accounting communications have become distorted thereby failing to live up to their potential to contribute to the enhancement of social well being. The intention is to go beyond the media exposes and appreciate the underlying pursuit of fairness and justice in society. Design/ Methodology/ Approach: We are journalistic in seeking lots of direct quotations. Such quotations, both from the professor and the responses of his audience, are available through web sites. A telephone interview was conducted with the professor. We attempt to place his work in a social context by providing some personal background information. Findings: Prem Sikka’s media ‘blogs’ bring forth strong reactions. He tends to polarise people. The purpose of his media releases is to generate opposing reactions in the pursuit of an open and democratic process. By focusing on the darker side of accounting practices, Prem Sikka highlights the political aspects of accounting as accounting language that may be considered as a language of fiction. He writes from the perspective of those who least benefit from current practices and against the powerful elites who benefit from current societal arrangements. His media articles have significant potential in facilitating change for best practices in accounting services to society in a manner that truly reflects the ‘public interest’ that accountants as a professional group ascribe to. Whether this is realised depends on how counter accounts and critiques disseminated connect with common sense of people. Originality/ value: The originality is a derivative of Prem Sikka’s work. We simply try to understand and explain how Prem Sikka uses the media to hold accountants to account. We illustrate his unique ability to identify and confront the important issues surrounding accounting practice. We add support to his challenge to accountants to engage with issues of fairness and justice in society. Analysis bringing out accounting’s ambiguous and conflict- enhancing functioning for the socio-political order has been especially scarce. Such writings of Sikka challenges the status quo of accountants where their charters indicate that they are a professional group that have ‘public interest’ as their key priority but which have been illustrated otherwise by Sikka’s media accounts as ‘dark and secretive practices’ that benefit only the privileged few. Key words: Media, Prem Sikka, accountants, ethics, regulation, globalisation