The computer companies, Internet businesses, and assorted widget makers of Silicon Valley have some new, more traditional neighbors. Big news organizations often associated with East Coast power centers like New York and Washington are shifting more employees to the sprawling valley, where being a writer has typically meant crafting software code, not news stories. Knight Ridder Inc., the second-largest US newspaper chain, recently moved its headquarters from Miami to San Jose. Several other publishers have quietly bolstered their ranks in Silicon Valley or have committed to covering it more closely from afar. The New York Times now publishes a full section on high-tech issues and products on Thursdays, in addition to its daily coverage of technology business news.
Technology is of great interest to people.
Other publishers cite different reasons. Knight Ridder, whose papers include The Miami Herald and The Philadelphia Inquirer as well as Silicon Valley's hometown paper, the San Jose Mercury News , said the company wanted to expose its management to technologies that could keep newspapers relevant in the digital age. The point is to have our corporate executives immersed in the culture. Knight Ridder was one of the first news companies to recognize the potential of the Internet by setting up its Mercury Center Web site as an online companion to the Mercury News . The site posts breaking news throughout the day along with information that would not fit into the newspaper, helping set a new standard for online journalism.