THE media needs public support to do a better job safeguarding civil liberties and democracy. Even in a strictly business sense, entertainment tycoon Paiboon Damrongchaithams hostile takeover bid for Matichon and aggressive move to acquire a majority stake in the Bangkok Post would have been frowned upon by the business community in this country.

Hostile takeovers may be a source of dynamism in a free enterprise system, because they help remove i