There should be limits on how much you can make your opinions heard.

Sir in “Fitch eager to make headlines” September 17, Adam Jones quotes Mr de Lacharriére the owner of Fitch Ratings saying with respect to the possibility of buying Les Echos “that a ratings agency and a financial news provider are complementary since both strive to deliver impeccable information: ‘There is no conflict of interest, we have truly the same objective” May I ask has he ever heard about the reason for separation of powers in any government even though their different branches have the same objectives. On the contrary if I was a bank regulator of those who have empowered the credit rating agency to dictate so much within the financial markets one rule I would make sure of is that these credit rating agencies should have no access to other additional means of imposing what they consider to be their First Amendment protected opinions.

Is the coverage in Business Week influenced by the fact that its parent company, McGraw-Hill, also owns Standard & Poors?

Most probably not but given the real power that has been given to the credit rating agencies that should not even have to be a question we consumers would have to ask ourselves since the regulators should know that it is in their best interest to keep incest as far away as it can?

Is there anything else with sufficient power to stand up to the credit rating agencies going crazy than a free media with the voice to criticize it? Will the criticism be the same if they have the same father? I do not think so and so I would gladly suggest that McGraw-Hill makes up its mind about which part of the business it wants to keep.