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cover of episode The Baltimore Sun Is In Trouble

The Baltimore Sun Is In Trouble

2025/3/12
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On the Media
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B
Brooke Gladstone
L
Liz Bowie
M
Milton Kent
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Brooke Gladstone: 大卫·史密斯收购巴尔的摩太阳报后，其经营状况急剧恶化，读者数量和网站流量大幅下降，许多记者离职。这一事件引发了人们对报业未来和媒体生态的担忧，特别是考虑到史密斯与辛克莱广播集团的关联以及其保守的政治立场。 Milton Kent: 辛克莱广播集团的介入对巴尔的摩太阳报的新闻报道质量和客观性造成了负面影响。辛克莱集团推行的项目，例如"巴尔的摩项目"，缺乏必要的背景信息和事实，带有明显的偏见。史密斯曾表示，希望巴尔的摩太阳报效仿"巴尔的摩项目"的运作模式，这更加令人担忧。 Liz Bowie: 巴尔的摩太阳报在不同所有者（论坛报业集团、阿尔登环球资本、大卫·史密斯）手中的经历，反映了媒体行业面临的挑战，以及非营利媒体的兴起。在阿尔登环球资本的时期，虽然没有大规模裁员，但报纸的新闻报道质量和影响力仍然受到损害。巴尔的摩旗帜报的出现为巴尔的摩的媒体生态带来了良性竞争，提高了新闻报道的质量和速度。非营利媒体的成功依赖于持续的资金支持和高质量的新闻报道，以吸引足够的订阅者。尽管巴尔的摩太阳报的未来充满不确定性，但巴尔的摩旗帜报的成功为地方新闻业带来了希望。

Deep Dive

Chapters
This chapter discusses the decline in The Baltimore Sun's readership and staff after the purchase by David Smith, known for his conservative ties. New figures indicate a significant drop in circulation and web traffic, alongside a wave of journalist departures.
  • David Smith purchased The Baltimore Sun over a year ago.
  • The Sun's readership, both in print and online, has drastically decreased.
  • Numerous journalists have left the paper since the acquisition.

Shownotes Transcript

Last January the hedge fund Alden Global Capital sold The Baltimore Sun to David Smith, an executive at Sinclair Broadcast Group. Smith once told Trump that Sinclair was "here to deliver your message.” He is also known to support conservative causes like Moms for Liberty. It's been a year and with the release of new circulation numbers, its clear that whatever Smith is doing at the Sun, isn't working: Circulation is down, web traffic is down, journalists are leaving in the their droves. 

After the sale went through last year, we spoke to Milton Kent), professor of practice in the School of Global Journalism and Communication at Morgan State University and Liz Bowie), who worked at The Sun for over 30 years before making the jump to the nonprofit, the Baltimore Banner. 

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