The Baltimore Sun facts for kids
| Light for All | |
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March 27, 2024 front page
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| Type | Daily newspaper |
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| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner(s) | JTF Publications LLC (David D. Smith and Armstrong Williams) |
| Publisher | Trif Alatzas |
| Founded | May 17, 1837 |
| Headquarters | 200 St. Paul Place, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| City | Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Country | United States |
| Circulation | 43,000 daily 125,000 Sunday (as of 2021[update]) |
| ISSN | 1930-8965 |
| OCLC number | 244481759 |
The Baltimore Sun is a major daily newspaper in Maryland, USA. It shares news from Baltimore, the surrounding region, the country, and even the world. It's known for its motto, Light for All, meaning it aims to bring information to everyone.
The newspaper started way back in 1837. For many years, it was owned by a company called Tribune Publishing. In 2021, it was bought by Alden Global Capital. Then, in January 2024, David D. Smith, who leads Sinclair Broadcast Group, bought the paper.
Contents
Exploring the History of The Sun
How The Sun Began
The Sun was first published on May 17, 1837. It was started by Arunah Shepherdson Abell and two friends, William Moseley Swain and Azariah H. Simmons. They had already started another newspaper in Philadelphia. Abell had worked as a journalist in other big cities like New York and Boston before starting The Sun.
The 20th Century: Growth and Changes
The Abell family owned The Sun until 1910. Then, other families invested in the paper. In the same year, The Evening Sun was created. It was led by a famous writer and editor named H.L. Mencken.
From 1947 to 1986, The Sun also owned Maryland's first TV station, WMAR-TV. This station was connected to CBS and later NBC. It was sold in 1986 and is now an ABC station.
Reporting from Around the World
The Sun was one of the first U.S. newspapers to have offices in other countries. In 1924, it opened an office in London. Later, it added offices in places like Bonn (Germany), Moscow (Russia), Rome (Italy), and New Delhi (India). At its busiest, The Sun had eight foreign offices. This led to its famous saying: "The Sun never sets on the world."
In 1986, the paper was sold to the Times-Mirror Company. Around the same time, another old Baltimore newspaper, the News American, stopped publishing. In 1997, The Sun bought a company that published many local weekly papers and magazines.
However, in the 1990s and 2000s, The Sun started closing its foreign offices. By 2008, all of them were closed. This happened as newspaper companies tried to save money.
The 21st Century: New Challenges
Like many newspapers, The Sun faced challenges in the 21st century. More people started getting news from the internet. This meant fewer readers and less advertising for newspapers. The staff in the newsroom also became smaller.
In 2000, the Tribune Company bought the Times-Mirror company. This meant The Sun became part of a larger newspaper group. In 2014, The Sun became part of Tribune Publishing.
The newspaper changed its design several times. By 2010, fewer people were buying the daily paper. In 2009, many staff members were laid off. In 2011, The Baltimore Sun started charging people to read its articles online. This is called a paywall.
The Baltimore Sun is the main newspaper of the Baltimore Sun Media Group. This group also publishes other local newspapers, magazines, and websites. They reach over a million readers in the Baltimore area every week.
In 2014, the Baltimore Sun Media Group bought another local paper called City Paper. They also bought other Maryland publications.
In 2021, there was a plan for a nonprofit group to buy The Sun. This deal did not happen. The person behind the nonprofit then started a new online news outlet called The Baltimore Banner.
In February 2022, The Sun's editorial board said sorry for its past actions. They apologized for promoting racism over its 185-year history. This included accepting ads for selling enslaved people and supporting racial segregation.
New Ownership: David Smith Takes Over
In January 2024, David D. Smith, who leads Sinclair Broadcast Group, bought The Baltimore Sun. A conservative writer named Armstrong Williams also has a share in the paper. Smith said he wanted the paper to work with Sinclair's TV stations, like WBFF-TV. He believed he could get more readers by focusing on local community news and using new technology.
When Smith visited the newsroom, he talked about how the paper should be more like WBFF's news. He suggested focusing more on community news and crime. He also said he didn't read the paper's stories beyond the headlines.
Since Smith bought The Baltimore Sun, the paper has changed. It now publishes more stories about Baltimore's mayor and crime. It also shares content from WBFF and other conservative news sources. Readership of the newspaper has decreased since the change in ownership. Many journalists have left the paper, some going to work for The Baltimore Banner.
Armstrong Williams said the paper's opinion section would stop supporting political candidates. He also said it would include more conservative views, but not get rid of liberal ones. His own columns and videos are now often published in the paper. In June 2024, The Sun started sharing content from WBFF's website. This caused some staff members to protest. They were concerned about the connection between The Sun and Sinclair's newsrooms. They also worried about the language used in some articles, especially about immigrants and transgender people.
In June 2024, the managing editor, Sam Davis, announced he would retire. Tricia Bishop, who has worked at the paper since 1999, took his place.
The Baltimore Sun Guild, which represents the paper's unionized reporters, has raised concerns about the new owners. They worried about the use of Fox 45's content and Williams' columns. They said these did not always meet Sun standards. The guild asked The Sun to stop sharing WBFF-TV content. Williams said he respected their opinion but believed managers had the right to make decisions about the newspaper. The wording in one Fox 45 story about immigrants was later changed.
The guild also worried that the new owners were trying to delay talks about their work contract. Smith denied these claims.
In October 2024, the newspaper removed its features desk. This meant reporters who covered arts and culture were moved to other news sections. The guild said this was the first time since 1888 that the paper would not cover the city's cultural life.
Different Versions of The Sun
From 1910 to 1995, there were two different newspapers: The Sun (morning paper) and The Evening Sun (afternoon paper). Each had its own reporters and editors.
The Evening Sun started in 1910. For many years, it had more readers than the morning paper. But by the 1980s, fewer people were reading afternoon newspapers. They preferred morning papers or TV news. The Evening Sun stopped publishing on September 15, 1995.
The Daily Newspaper
Today, The Baltimore Sun has three sections on weekdays: News, Sports, and changing business or features sections. Sometimes, comics and TV listings are in the back of the Sports section.
In 2010, The Sun brought back a separate business section on Tuesdays and Sundays. It also added new features sections like "Home" on Saturdays and "Style" on Thursdays.
The Sunday Edition
For many years, the Sunday Sun had a special magazine section about Maryland. It featured photos by famous photographers. In 1996, the Sunday Sun stopped printing its own magazine. It now includes Parade magazine. A special Sun Magazine was brought back in 2010.
The Baltimore Sun Online
The Baltimore Sun launched its website in September 1996. The website was updated in 2009. Many people visit the site each month to read news. Sun reporters and editors write many blogs about different topics. These include food, sports, weather, and politics. There is also a Baltimore Sun app for phones.
b Newspaper for Young Readers
In 2008, the Baltimore Sun Media Group started a daily paper called b. It was made for younger readers, aged 18 to 35. It was a smaller paper with big pictures and a fun design. It focused on entertainment, news, and sports. In 2011, b became a weekly paper. It stopped publishing completely in August 2015.
Famous People Who Worked at The Sun
The Baltimore Sun has won 16 Pulitzer Prizes. A Pulitzer Prize is a very important award for journalism and arts. Many famous journalists have worked there, including H.L. Mencken, who worked for the paper for over 40 years.
Other notable journalists, editors, photographers, and cartoonists who worked at The Baltimore Sun include:
- Rafael Alvarez
- Linda Carter Brinson
- Richard Ben Cramer
- Russell Baker
- A. Aubrey Bodine
- John Carroll
- Turner Catledge
- Edmund Duffy
- Thomas Edsall
- John Filo
- Jon Franklin
- Jack Germond
- James Grant
- Mauritz A. Hallgren
- David Hobby
- Brit Hume
- Gwen Ifill
- Gerald W. Johnson
- Kevin P. Kallaugher
- Murray Kempton
- Frank Kent
- Tim Kurkjian
- Laura Lippman
- William Manchester
- Jim McKay
- Kay Mills
- Robert Mottar
- J. Reginald Murphy
- Thomas O'Neill
- Drew Pearson
- Ken Rosenthal
- Louis Rukeyser
- Dan Shaughnessy
- David Simon
- Michael Sragow
- John Steadman
- Jules Witcover
- William F. Zorzi
Where The Sun Has Been Printed
The very first issue of The Sun was printed in downtown Baltimore in the 1830s. In 1851, the newspaper moved to a five-story building. This building was destroyed in the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904.
In 1885, The Sun built an office for its Washington, D.C. news team. This building is now a historic place.
In 1906, operations moved to a new location in Baltimore. The Sun was written, published, and sent out from there for almost 50 years. In 1950, they moved to an even bigger, more modern building. In 1979, they started building an addition for new printing machines. This new part opened in 1981.
In 1988, the company bought a large area of land and built "Sun Park." This new building had advanced printing and packaging machines. It also became the main office for sending out newspapers.
On January 30, 2022, The Baltimore Sun was printed at Sun Park for the last time. Its printing operations moved to a facility in Wilmington, Delaware.
In December 2022, The Sun announced it would move its offices to a new building in downtown Baltimore. After the paper was bought in 2024, the new owners planned to move the newsroom again to a different building in Little Italy.
The Sun in The Wire TV Show
The Baltimore Sun was shown in the TV series The Wire in 2008. This show was created by David Simon, who used to be a reporter for The Sun.
The show explored how the media affects decisions in the city government and the police department. It also showed the challenges newspapers face today, like layoffs. One part of the show focused on a reporter who made up stories. The show suggested that the newspaper's leaders ignored concerns because they wanted to win a Pulitzer Prize.
Working with Other News Outlets
In 2008, The Baltimore Sun started working with TV station WJZ-TV. They shared news stories and ideas. WJZ-TV promoted Baltimore Sun stories, and The Sun promoted WJZ's news.
Since David Smith bought The Sun in 2024, the paper has partnered with Sinclair's WBFF-TV. Their websites share each other's stories. Articles from WBFF-TV and other Sinclair stations also appear in The Sun. This has been a point of discussion with the newspaper's union. They are concerned that some of these articles do not meet The Sun's usual standards for journalism.
See also
In Spanish: The Baltimore Sun para niños
- Category:The Baltimore Sun people
- List of newspapers in Maryland
- List of newspapers in the United States by circulation
- Media in Baltimore
