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On The Record

What does the sale of the Baltimore Sun mean for local journalism?

By Sheilah Kast,
Maureen Harvie, Melissa Gerr, Sam Bermas-Dawes
Published January 23, 2024 at 11:52 AM EST
The Baltimore Sun front page is seen, Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, in Baltimore. David D. Smith, executive chairman of the Sinclair broadcasting chain and an active contributor to conservative causes, has bought Baltimore Sun Media from the investment firm Alden Global Capital. The purchase price was not disclosed. (AP Photo/Lea Skene)
Lea Skene/AP
/
AP
The Baltimore Sun front page is seen, Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, in Baltimore. David D. Smith, executive chairman of the Sinclair broadcasting chain and an active contributor to conservative causes, has bought Baltimore Sun Media from the investment firm Alden Global Capital. The purchase price was not disclosed. (AP Photo/Lea Skene)

What is behind the recent purchase of the Baltimore Sun by local conservative media executive David D. Smith? We ask NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik. Plus: Dean Jacqueline Jones of Morgan State’s journalism department and the Baltimore Beat’s editor Lisa Snowden on the sale and how it could impact local journalism and local journalists.

Read more:
New Baltimore Sun owner on tape bashing city schools, local politicians and more
The Baltimore Sun has been sold to a conservative broadcast chief
After Baltimore Sun sale to David Smith, part-owner Armstrong Williams offers vision

Editor's note: Audio has been edited to remove a technical issue at the top of the program.

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On The Record WYPR ProgramsOn the RecordjournalismSinclair Broadcast Groupbaltimore sun
Sheilah Kast
Sheilah Kast is the host of On The Record, Monday-Friday, 9:30-10:00 am.
See stories by Sheilah Kast
Maureen Harvie
Maureen Harvie is Senior Supervising Producer for On the Record. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and joined WYPR in 2014 as an intern for the newsroom. Whether coordinating live election night coverage, capturing the sounds of a roller derby scrimmage, interviewing veterans, or booking local authors, she is always on the lookout for the next story.
See stories by Maureen Harvie
Melissa Gerr
Melissa Gerr is a Senior Producer for On the Record. She started in public media at Twin Cities Public Television in St. Paul, Minn., where she is from, and then worked as a field producer for Oregon Public Broadcasting in Portland. She made the jump to audio-lover in Baltimore as a digital media editor at Mid-Atlantic Media and Laureate Education, Inc. and as a field producer for "Out of the Blocks." Her beat is typically the off-beat with an emphasis on science, culture and things that make you say, 'Wait, what?'
See stories by Melissa Gerr
Sam Bermas-Dawes
Sam Bermas-Dawes is a producer for Midday.
See stories by Sam Bermas-Dawes