Gary Pruitt, whose McClatchy Co. is buying Knight Ridder, used to be a First Amendment attorney who represented journalists and fought for public documents, fended off libel suits and argued for the public’s right to know. In an interview with the LA Times, he dismisses the conventional wisdom that newspapers are dying, but notes that he got Knight Ridder for a bargain price because of that prevailing view. Asked what made him proudest from the days when he represented newspapers and reporters in court, Pruitt said: “I cleared thousands of news stories and never killed one. … I loved being a First Amendment lawyer. It was a great job. I reluctantly left it.”