Investor Bruce Sherman, who successfully agitated for the sale of Knight Ridder, doesn’t look set to fight the fight over again. Dow Jones Newswires notes that a recent SEC filing from Sherman’s Private Capital Management shows he eliminated or reduced several newspaper holdings in the latest quarter. Gone are stakes in Gannett, (NYSE: GCI) Media General (NYSE: MEG) and Belo, (NYSE: BLC) while positions in NYTCO, Lee Enterprises (NYSE: LEE) and McClatchy (NYSE: MNI) have been reduced. For comparison, the previous quarter’s filing can be found here.

Sherman isn’t the only activist newspaper investor scaling down. Longtime NYTCO shareholder and critic Hassan Elmasry of Morgan Stanley recently gave up some or all of his fund’s holdings, along with his battle to eliminate the company’s dual-class stock system.

Warren Buffett bucked the trend this quarter, upping his stake in Dow Jones, (NYSE: NWS) although this is mainly seen as an arbitrage play on the company’s pending sale. (via MarketWatch)

• Updated: Morgan Stanley Fund Led By Activist Shareholder Sells NYTCO Stake: Reports
• Knight Ridder’s Largest Shareholder Wants A Company Sale