Does ownership of a media outlet matter? Have a look at the ways changing from corporate to independent ownership, and vice versa, preceded changes in staffing and circulation. This slideshow also considers why it matters where news originates.

1. Family vs. Chain A Tale of Two Newspapers: The Santa Fe New Mexican and The Des Moines Register

3. Who has a stake in news?

8. Register Editor Harvey Ingham, right, and Publisher Gardner Cowles in 1937. Source: Iowa Historical Society

10. Jay “Ding” Darling, two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartoons, 1918. Source: Covering Iowa: The History of the Des Moines Register and Tribune Company, 1849-1985.

11. The Register used every means at its disposal to get the news out to each of Iowa’s 99 counties, including the Chicago and North Western Railroad. Source: Covering Iowa.

12. 1966: Register executives consult the Des Moines Sunday Register Transportation Map, showing the distribution routes for carriers across the state. Source: Covering Iowa.

13. 1930: Good News II ferried photographers and reporters to the far corners of the state and helped the Register live up to its slogan: The Newspaper Iowa Depends Upon. Source: Covering Iowa.

14. 1986: Gannett CEO Al Neuharth, front left, and Register Publisher David Kruidenier announce the sale. Source: Des Moines Register.

23. Robert McKinney, owner and publisher of the Santa Fe New Mexican. Source: Taos News.

24. Robin McKinney Martin, current owner and publisher of the Santa Fe New Mexican, at a database reporting workshop sponsored by Investigative Reporters and Editors. Source: IRE

26. Industry observers “ Now, it's a numbers game, and you have more aggressive managers. It used to be that saying, 'I'm the editor and it's the right thing to do' trumped the numbers. It doesn't anymore.” — Carl Sessions Stepp, University of Maryland journalism professor “ If it’s a cheap product, people figure it out.” — Steven Ross, Columbia University professor of journalism