News-Record.com

Another family-owned newspaper, that is: In this case, the Herald-Sun in Durham.

I don't want to overly romanticize family-owned newspapers. Many of them, historically, have been just as bottom-line-fixated as chain papers, and some have been even more corrupt in terms of how far they would go to shape or cover up news to benefit local interests. But in this case, the Rollins family, from what I can see from the outside looking in, appears to have been a good and ethical steward of the paper in a very tough, very competitive news environment.

One thing I would take with a grain of salt, however, is this bit from newspaper-industry analyst John Morton:

The Herald-Sun has a reputation as a solid, well-run newspaper, said John Morton, a media analyst and president of Morton Research in Silver Spring Maryland.

"It's always had good management and it does a good job," he said.

Readers may not notice a big difference in the newspaper, at least at first, Morton said.

"What they're buying is what the Durham paper built up over the years," he said. "They'll be careful not to diminish it by cutting it one way or the other."

I think the key words there are "at least at first." Because some folks at another Paxton paper, the High Point Enterprise, might have a different tale to tell.

A friend of mine claims that Paxton will gut the Herald-Sun like a fish and that the Raleigh-based News & Observer will make another big push into Durham, further damaging the paper's finances. Certainly, with absentee ownership, the Herald-Sun will be vulnerable. And we love competition in the news bidness, but historically, this kind ends with lots of people losing their jobs.