Little Surprise in Duluth at McClatchy Move?

By: Mark Fitzgerald The Duluth (Minn.) News Tribune's inclusion on the list of papers the McClatchy Co. immediately put up for sale after gaining it from Knight Ridder came as no surprise in the newsroom, according to one journalist who insisted on anonymity.

"Maybe it's a surprise to a few people, but for anyone who was looking at this carefully, it's not unanticipated," the journalist said. Like other papers on the list, the News Tribune is located in a slow-growth area.

In the port city itself, 15.5% of residents live below the poverty line, according to the 2000 Census.

The mood is not especially anxious in the newsroom, the source added: "It has to be business as usual, because we don't know what's going to happen."

In the meantime, the deal awkwardly links the News Tribune with McClatchy's Star Tribune down the river in Minneapolis. "For a little bit, we were like, oh, we've got a line to Minneapolis, but I guess not," the journalist said.