Thousands Post Messages Looking for Loved Ones on Biloxi Sun Herald Web Site

SAN JOSE, Sept. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The (Biloxi, Miss.) Sun Herald, a Knight Ridder newspaper, has created an online message board to assist in the relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Katrina. The site allows users to list missing persons and to send messages to loved ones who are in search of those missing or stranded in the aftermath of the hurricane.

The message board is accessible through The Sun Herald's home page, http://www.sunherald.com/, and Knight Ridder will be linking to it from all its Web sites. Over 14,000 messages have been posted on the site since it went live on Wednesday, Aug. 31.

As part of the relief effort for its employees in Biloxi, Knight Ridder has set up an employee hotline call-in number: 1-800-346-2472. The Sun Herald is eager to reach employees, and urges them to call in to provide information of their whereabouts and condition.

Knight Ridder Digital Director/Marketing Communication Amy Dalton said, "As one of the nation's largest news providers, we have a responsibility to provide a means of communication for those who have been separated from their friends and loved ones in the devastated areas of the coast. The Sun Herald's message board has received an overwhelming number of posts and replies, which we find extremely encouraging in the ongoing effort to bring relief to the region."

The Sun Herald continues to provide ongoing coverage of the changing conditions in the Gulf coast area, including on-the-ground stories and photos at SunHerald.com.

About the Sun Herald

The Biloxi Sun Herald is a Knight Ridder newspaper. Knight Ridder is the nation's second-largest newspaper publisher, with products in print and online. The company publishes 32 daily newspapers in 28 U.S. markets, with a readership of 8.5 million daily and 12.1 million Sunday. Knight Ridder also has investments in a variety of Internet and technology companies and two newsprint companies.

Knight Ridder is the nation's second-largest newspaper publisher, with products in print and online. The company publishes 30 daily newspapers in 27 U.S. markets, with a readership of 7.9 million daily and 11.2 million Sunday. Knight Ridder also has investments in a variety of Internet and technology companies and two newsprint companies. The company's Internet operation, Knight Ridder Digital, develops and manages the company's online properties. It is the founder and operator of Real Cities (http://www.realcities.com/), the largest national network of city and regional Web sites in more than 110 U.S. markets. Knight Ridder and Knight Ridder Digital are headquartered in San Jose, Calif. (NR)