We begin today with a conversation about an exciting development that will transform and enrich the media landscape in Baltimore.
The Baltimore Banner will begin publishing soon. The Banner is a multi-platform news organization, launched under the aegis of the non-profit Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism, that has attracted top talent from Baltimore and around the country, and it may turn out that it’s riding something of a wave in journalism. Non-profit newsrooms are springing-up and succeeding across the country in cities large and small. The Institute for Non-Profit News reports that in 2020, “Web traffic to nonprofit news sites grew by 43%.”
The Banner enjoys the substantial financial and philosophical support of Stewart Bainum, a wealthy entrepreneur who has made a multi-year, multi-million-dollar commitment, and serves as chairman of the Venetoulis Institute. Soon, anyone who values first-rate local journalism will have the opportunity to support this enterprise as well, with subscriptions and contributions.
Kimi Yoshino is an award-winning journalist who has come to Baltimore to be the Banner’s Editor in Chief after more than two decades at the Los Angeles Times…
Imtiaz Patelwas a senior executive at the Wall Street Journal for several years. He’s also been a consultant with the Philadelphia Enquirer and USA Today. He is the CEO of the Baltimore Banner…
They both join us on Zoom from the Banner headquarters in Baltimore.
![The Baltimore Banner's Editor-in-Chief Kimi Yoshino; CEO Imtiaz Patel (photos courtesy Venetoulis Inst.)](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a6f9ad8/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2540x1612+0+0/resize/880x558!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa9%2Fca%2F16e999234f7a8a5a8aec2a87914f%2Fkimiyoshino-imtiaz-patel-baltimore-banner.png)