CHANGE: The Baltimore Sun purchased by Sinclair’s David D. Smith.
Through his purchase of The Sun, Smith said he aims to help turn around a struggling newspaper industry, a decline he blamed on the industry’s inability to adapt to a changing market and to the internet, which has upended consumption and delivery of news and advertising.
He said he believes he can grow subscriptions and advertising for The Sun and its other publications by focusing more heavily on local and community news and investigations, boosting the use of video and social media, and integrating technology in ways other print media companies have been unable to do.
Smith criticized “mainstream media” in general for focusing on issues he said affect only a few people as opposed to those affecting greater numbers, adding that he finds it “curious that the mainstream media in this town often chooses not to cover things that affect everybody,” in particular concerning problems and corruption in government.
He said his first step will be to meet with staff and management of The Sun and its affiliates Tuesday to begin to understand the publications’ mission and operations and start discussions around future vision.
If the media takes their own advice when pink slips in other industries appear imminent, we are likely witnessing the birth of a whole new generation of coders in Charm City:
This will either lead to a bunch of leftists quitting in protest or a bunch of leftists being fired for cause. https://t.co/cprCh5hcpu
— Derek Hunter (@derekahunter) January 16, 2024
For those who remain, the Sun has one of the greatest journalistic role models in history to study to learn their craft: Terry Teachout on H.L. Mencken: a real man — warts and all.
UPDATE: “Smith said he will be joined in the newspaper venture by one partner, with an undisclosed share of ownership: Armstrong Williams, a well-known conservative political commentator who hosts a nationally syndicated television show on Sinclair network affiliates.”
(Updated and bumped.)