finaleditionjournalismaccordingtojackandjimknight.docVIP

Final Edition: Journalism According to Jack and Jim Knight John S. (Jack) and James (Jim) Knight were Akron brothers and prominent national figures, who owned and ran the Akron Beacon Journal newspaper in the 1900s. The two brothers, who inherited the Beacon Journal from their father, worked together to build up that newspaper into a strong editorial voice and business force that helped steer the city and the region. Eventually, the two parlayed the Akron paper into the flagship of a powerful, influential newspaper chain that included the Miami Herald, Detroit Free Press, San Jose Mercury News and the Philadelphia Inquirer. By 1981, the Knight-Ridder newspaper chain included 32 newspapers in 17 states, employed 15,000 workers and had a circulation of 3.6 million daily. The brothers also founded the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation (Miami), which remains one of the largest philanthropic organizations in the nation. Knight-Ridder Newspapers did not fare as well. The prize-winning newspaper group, at one time the nations largest, was sold to the McClatchy Co. in 2006 for $4.5 billion in cash and stock. Since then, McClatchy has sold off 12 Knight-Ridder newspapers to other corporations. The Beacon Journal was sold to Black Press Ltd., a Canadian publishing company. The hour-long documentary tells the story of the Knight family, the Beacon Journal and the rise and fall of the Knight-Ridder newspaper group. The documentary was written and produced by Paul Jacoway, of Paul R. Jacoway Productions of Akron, and Kathleen Endres, distinguished professor of Communication at The University of Akron, and directed by Jacoway. ? Three years in the making and narrated by David Lieberth, deputy mayor of the City of Akron, the documentary features interviews with popular local newspaper writers Abe Zaidan and Michael Douglas, Beacon Journal Editor Bruce Winges, and Knight Foundation President Alberto Ibarguen. ? The documentary was underwritten by a grant