Knight was born into a famous newspaper family and joined his father’s Akron Beacon Journal in 1931. He helped build one of the nation’s largest and most respected newspaper groups, Knight-Ridder Newspapers, with a daily circulation of 3.2 million in 33 U.S. cities, including dailies in Miami, Bradenton, Boca Raton and Tallahassee.
Knight became what he called a “nuts and bolts” newspaperman, with expertise in business, advertising, circulation, management and production. He became a key figure in encouraging the development of much of todayÌs revolutionary newspaper technology and is recognized internationally as a leader in the field.
In 1950, Jim Knight and his brother, publisher John S. Knight, founded the Knight Foundation to encourage continued growth and improvement in the newspaper industry.
