Table of Contents

"Author's Note

Introduction: Will Newspaper Journalism Survive?

Part One: Morning

1: Why This Matters

Newspapers and Coat Hangers

Journalism and Democracy: Fully Interdependent

How a Democracy Decides

Journalism's Role in Public Judgment

Opposites Attract

Concerns and Conceits

But How to Define Quality?

Effect on Public Life

2: The Heritages

The Ridder Path

The Intersection

The Knight Path

Lee Hills and the Supremacy of the Newsroom

Losing an Heir

3: Building Toward Merger

Rebuilding a Newspaper

Practicing Journalists

Turning Points

Finding Alvah Chapman

Dependence and Independence

The Deal Is Done

4: Wichita: A Marriage Made In…?

""Scorched Earth"" Policy

A Ride Around Town

A Modest Start and a Modest Goal

No Place at the Table

Another One?

Good Journalism with Good Journalists

A Coda

Part Two: Midday

5: Introducing Change

From ""Separation of Power"" to the ""Publisher System""

6: External Change: Boomers, Wall Street, and Technology

Change One: Boomers or Bust

Change Two: The Wall Street Syndrome

Cyclical, Top to Bottom

On Deaf Ears

Change Three: Technology

The Internet

Market Fragmentation

7: Internal Change: Creeping Corporatism and Catastrophe

Change Four: Leave Autonomy Alone

Creeping Corporatism

A Matter of Tone

One Size Fits All

Change Five: You Get What You Pay For, Maybe

The Publishers' Revolt

The Erosion of Newspaper Quality and MBOs

Change Six: People and Purpose

8: Change Seven: Breaching the Wall

Why a Wall?

Cracks and Gaps

Auto-mania

Where's My Bazooka?

A Coda

9: Change Eight: Lie, Cheat, Steal

Post-Watergate Syndrome

Lie

Cheat

Steal

… And Trust

""Who Do I See About…?

Tips for Coping

Part Three: Evening

1: Doing the Journalism

Batten: Exemplar of Great Journalism

Three Mile Island

PTL

Kentucky Basketball

Hurricane Andrew

Margins of Excellence

""An Incredible and Spectacular Honor""

A Coda

11: Saying Good-bye

A Philadelphia Story

A Columbia Story

A Miami Story

A San Jose Story

12: Wichita … Saying Good-bye

Public Journalism

From Collegiality to Confrontation

""No Matter What It Takes""

We Didn't Mean That!

13: What Now?

Migrating Faster

Going Private

Corporate Reform

Talk Differently to the Street

How Big Is Big Enough?

Nonprofit Alternatives

The Final Coda

Notes

Index

About the Author"

About the Author

DAVIS “BUZZ” MERRITT (Wichita, KS) spent more than four decades with Knight Newspapers and Knight Ridder publishers.