With Rupert Murdoch's bid for Dow Jones on a knife-edge , my colleague Matthew Ricketson sets out the pros and cons of the prospective takeover here.

And the negatives are worrying. This takeover is certainly in Murdoch's interests but it's not in the public's.

"There are three problems: first, it reduces the number of media outlets scrutinising business; second, it worsens the concentration of media ownership and, third, it is Murdoch...Some opposition to Murdoch's bid in American media circles has been fuelled by snobbery about the interloper dubbed "the dirty digger" decades ago when Murdoch launched himself in England and by his Notorious tabloids, such as The Sun in London with its page three girls and bovver-boy headlines.

"Putting that aside, Murdoch's habit of putting his business interests ahead of covering news without fear or favour is a core concern.

"There have been numerous instances of this over his long career, such as when, in 1993, to kowtow to the Chinese Government, he removed BBC World's news, some of whose reporting on China displeased the Government, from his satellite television service in northern Asia.

"But you need look no further than the way Murdoch's newspapers in Australia have covered the takeover bid to see the issue enacted as events have unfolded."

The loss of another voice is the big concern for markets and the general public.