Andrew Maykuth is the foreign correspondent at large for The Philadelphia Inquirer. To visit the Inquirer Online: click here.

Founded in 1829,  The Inquirer is America's third-oldest daily newspaper. In 1969, it was purchased by Knight Newspapers, Inc., now known as Knight Ridder. In 2006, it was sold to Philadelphia Media Holdings, a group of local Philadelphia investors. It is one of the few large independent American newspapers, a laboratory for a new model of media ownership.

The Philadelphia skyline (Ed Hille / www.picturedesk.net)

The Inquirer is one of the largest U.S. newspapers. It primarily serves five counties in Pennsylvania and three in southern New Jersey. It is America's fourth-largest market in population and households. 

The Inquirer's tradition of aggressive enterprise, explanatory reporting and stylish writing has been accorded 18 Pulitzer Prizes.

 

An Inquirer Front Page	Inquirer Managing Editor Anne Gordon, Editor Amanda Bennett and Publisher Joe Natoli on the day Knight Ridder announced it was putting itself up for sale (John Costello photo)..