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W. Davis "Buzz" Merritt Jr. was editor of The Wichita Eagle from 1975 to 1996. He is considered one of the fathers of civic journalism, a somewhat controversial school of thought that advocates using public opinion and civic utilitarianism to set an issues-focused agenda for political coverage, rather than focusing on the political process or the agendas of politicians. Merritt is the author of several books, the latest being Knightfall: Knight Ridder and How the Erosion of Newspaper Journalism Is Putting Democracy at Risk, a critique of corporate ownership of newspapers that reserves its most pointed criticism for Knight Ridder, which was the longtime owner of The Wichita Eagle.
