{"id":311752,"date":"2024-01-18T10:51:24","date_gmt":"2024-01-18T15:51:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?prc_email_campaign=baltimore-sun-sold-to-media-executive"},"modified":"2026-06-08T12:58:41","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T16:58:41","slug":"baltimore-sun-sold-to-media-executive","status":"publish","type":"prc_email_campaign","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/newsletter\/the-briefing\/baltimore-sun-sold-to-media-executive\/","title":{"rendered":"Baltimore Sun sold to media executive"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized prc-logo\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/prc-logo.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-429038\" style=\"width:409px;height:auto\" \/><\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-gray-light-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-gray-light-background-color has-background\" \/>\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2024-01-18T10:51:24-05:00\">January 18, 2024<\/time><\/div>\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading newsletter-title has-serif-font-family\" id=\"the-briefing\">The Briefing<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u2600\ufe0f Happy Thursday!<\/strong>&nbsp;<em>The Briefing is your guide to the world of news and information<\/em>.<em> <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/sign-up-for-the-briefing\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/sign-up-for-the-briefing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Sign up here!<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>In today<em>\u2019<\/em>s email:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Top story:<\/strong> The Baltimore Sun has returned to local ownership<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>New from Pew Research Center:<\/strong> Views from Americans on the edge of politics<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>In other news:<\/strong> News outlets cancel New Hampshire GOP primary debates<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Looking ahead:<\/strong> CNN\u2019s new CEO explores digital subscription model<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Chart of the week:<\/strong> Americans are following the news less closely than they used to<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:27px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"top-story\">\ud83d\udd25&nbsp;<strong>Top story<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/baltimore-sun-sale-local-conservative-52e31f67b75de46deef1a9dfe3528a91inclair\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Baltimore Sun<\/a> has been sold to David D. Smith, the executive chairman of Sinclair Broadcast Group. This will <strong>return The Sun to local ownership<\/strong> for the first time in decades. Within the newsroom, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/style\/media\/2024\/01\/17\/baltimore-sun-staff-meeting-david-smith-sinclair-alden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">some are concerned about the sale<\/a> due to Smith\u2019s conservative politics and previous criticism of print media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Smith is seeking to make The Sun more profitable at a time when both<strong> circulation and revenue have been trending downward<\/strong> for <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/fact-sheet\/local-newspapers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">local newspapers nationwide<\/a> for years. The total combined print and digital circulation for locally focused U.S. daily newspapers in 2020 was 8.3 million for weekday (Monday-Friday) and 15.4 million for Sunday, representing declines of 40% and 45%, respectively, since 2015. And revenue from advertising has declined even more steeply than circulation revenue over that span.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:27px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"new-from-pew-research\">\ud83d\udea8 <strong>New from Pew Research Center<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A new <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2024\/01\/09\/tuning-out-americans-on-the-edge-of-politics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">essay from Pew Research Center<\/a> based on a series of focus groups conducted last year explores the views and experiences of Americans who do not feel strongly connected to any one political party and <strong>who don\u2019t closely follow the news about politics and government<\/strong>. One participant offered the following take: \u201cYou don\u2019t know what to believe; it\u2019s so much information to soak in that you sometimes don\u2019t know if it\u2019s true or not.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:27px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"under-the-radar\">\ud83d\udccc&nbsp;<strong>In other news<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>ABC News<\/strong> <strong>and CNN<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/01\/17\/us\/politics\/cnn-abc-republican-debate-canceled.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">cancel New Hampshire Republican primary debates<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Houston nonprofit newsroom<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.niemanlab.org\/2024\/01\/the-houston-landings-newsroom-is-blindsided-by-the-firing-of-its-top-editor-and-a-star-reporter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&#8220;blindsided&#8221; by firing of top editor and reporter<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>AI news app <strong>Artifact <\/strong>to <a href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/article\/artifact-news-app-is-shutting-down\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">shut down<\/a>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>News outlets draw backlash <\/strong>for calling the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/01\/15\/us\/politics\/trump-iowa-caucus-race-call.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Iowa caucus unexpectedly early<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>OpenAI announces plans<\/strong> to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2024\/01\/15\/chatgpt-openai-2024-elections\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">combat misinformation and abuse<\/a> ahead of the 2024 elections<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Kyrgyzstan<\/strong> detains several journalists in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.voanews.com\/a\/kyrgyzstan-authorities-raid-news-outlets-detain-10-reporters\/7442801.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">raids targeting independent media<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:27px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"looking-ahead\">\ud83d\udcc5&nbsp;<strong>Looking ahead<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">New <strong>CNN CEO Mark Thompson <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/business\/media\/new-cnn-boss-shakes-up-news-operations-explores-digital-subscription-model-db12e796?mod=followamazon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">told The Wall Street Journal<\/a> that he is considering trying to monetize CNN\u2019s content through a <strong>digital subscription model<\/strong> that would enhance the mobile video news experience. Thompson also said he plans to combine newsgathering into a single TV-and-digital unit.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The average number of TVs tuned in to CNN for the prime news time slot declined 25% in 2022,<\/strong> from an average audience of about 1.1 million in 2021 to 828,000 in 2022, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/fact-sheet\/cable-news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">our recent analysis of Comscore data<\/a>. This contrasts with a rise in viewership for Fox News and a more modest decline for MSNBC. CNN\u2019s total revenue also decreased by 5%, from $1.9 billion in 2021 to $1.8 billion in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:27px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"chart-of-the-week\">\ud83d\udcca&nbsp;<strong>Chart of the week<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This week\u2019s chart comes from a recent blog post exploring the <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2023\/10\/24\/americans-are-following-the-news-less-closely-than-they-used-to\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">decline in Americans\u2019 attention to news<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2016, 51% of U.S. adults said they follow the news all or most of the time. In 2022, the most recent time this question was asked, 38% of U.S. adults said the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-640-wide is-resized\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-5718\" href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/newsletter\/the-briefing\/the-briefing-2024-01-18\/sr_23-10-24_following-news_1-webp\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f1f1f1\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/01\/SR_23.10.24_following-news_1.webp?resize=480,437 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/01\/SR_23.10.24_following-news_1.webp?resize=782,711 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/01\/SR_23.10.24_following-news_1.webp?resize=840,764 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"582\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/01\/SR_23.10.24_following-news_1.webp?w=640\" alt=\"A line chart showing that 51% of U.S. adults said they follow the news all or most of the time in 2016, a percentage that decreases to 38% the most recent time this question was asked in 2022.\" class=\"wp-image-5718 not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f1f1f1; width:409px;height:auto\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-gray-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-gray-background-color has-background\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\ud83d\udc4b That&#8217;s all for this week.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Briefing is compiled by Pew Research Center staff, including Naomi Forman-Katz, Jacob Liedke, Sarah Naseer, Christopher St. Aubin, Luxuan Wang and Emily Tomasik. It is edited by Katerina Eva Matsa, Michael Lipka and Mark Jurkowitz, and copy edited by Rebecca Leppert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Do you like this newsletter? Email us at&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"mailto:journalism@pewresearch.org\" target=\"_blank\">journalism@pewresearch.org<\/a> or fill out this <a href=\"https:\/\/us1.list-manage.com\/survey?u=434f5d1199912232d416897e4&amp;id=449f3c3d35&amp;attribution=false\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/us1.list-manage.com\/survey?u=434f5d1199912232d416897e4&amp;id=449f3c3d35&amp;attribution=false\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">two-question survey<\/a> to tell us what you think<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-gray-light-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-gray-light-background-color has-background\" \/>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-7387b849 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-link-color-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-1 wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"{{ update_preferences }}\">Update preferences<\/a><i class=\"ngl-tag-spacer\" id=\"ngl-tag-spacer-1686790570706\">&nbsp;<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-link-color-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-2 wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"http:\/\/{{ blog_post }}\">View in browser<\/a><i class=\"ngl-tag-spacer\" id=\"ngl-tag-spacer-1686790603758\">&nbsp;<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-link-color-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-3 wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"{{ unsubscribe_link }}\">Unsubscribe<\/a><i class=\"ngl-tag-spacer\" id=\"ngl-tag-spacer-1686790596623\">&nbsp;<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-link-color-color has-text-color wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/pewresearch\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-link-color-color has-text-color wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/pewresearch\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-link-color-color has-text-color wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/instagram.com\/pewresearch\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank. As a neutral source of data and analysis, Pew Research Center does not take policy positions.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u00a9 2024 Pew Research Center<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Plus, views from Americans who don&#8217;t closely follow political news, and news outlets cancel New Hampshire GOP primary debates.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":5721,"template":"","meta":{"sub_headline":"","sub_title":"","_prc_public_revisions":[],"_ppp_expiration_hours":0,"_ppp_enabled":false,"wpai_generated_summary":"","prc_watchers":[],"footnotes":"","prc_email_subject":"Baltimore Sun sold to media executive","prc_email_preview_text":"Plus, views from Americans who don't closely follow political news, and news outlets cancel New Hampshire GOP primary debates.","prc_email_template_slug":"","prc_email_mailchimp_audience_id":"","prc_email_mailchimp_segment_id":"","prc_email_mailchimp_campaign_id":"","prc_email_mailchimp_campaign_admin_url":"","prc_email_mailchimp_campaign_status":"","prc_email_mailchimp_pending_send_at":"","prc_email_mailchimp_delayed_send_cancelled":""},"categories":[],"bylines":[],"prc_newsletter_list":[3083],"_post_visibility":[2643],"formats":[],"workflow-status":[],"class_list":["post-311752","prc_email_campaign","type-prc_email_campaign","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","_post_visibility-hidden-on-index"],"label":"Newsletter","post_parent":0,"word_count":642,"canonical_url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/newsletter\/the-briefing\/baltimore-sun-sold-to-media-executive\/","charts":[],"art_direction":{"A1":{"id":"5721","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=564&h=317&crop=1","width":564,"height":317,"chartArt":false},"A2":{"id":"5721","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=268&h=151&crop=1","width":268,"height":151,"chartArt":false},"A3":{"id":"5721","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=194&h=110&crop=1","width":194,"height":110,"chartArt":false},"A4":{"id":"5721","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=268&h=151&crop=1","width":268,"height":151,"chartArt":false},"XL":{"id":"5721","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=720&h=405&crop=1","width":720,"height":405,"chartArt":false},"social":{"id":"5721","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=1200&h=628&crop=1","width":1200,"height":628,"chartArt":false}},"_embeds":[],"prc_checklist":{},"watchChildPosts":false,"watchers":[],"table_of_contents":[],"datacite_doi":"","prc_seo_data":{"title":"Baltimore Sun sold to media executive","description":"Plus, views from Americans who don't closely follow political news, and news outlets cancel New Hampshire GOP primary debates.","og_title":"Baltimore Sun sold to media executive","og_description":"Plus, views from Americans who don't closely follow political news, and news outlets cancel New Hampshire GOP primary debates.","schema_type":"WebPage","noindex":false,"canonical_url":"","primary_terms":[],"custom_schema":[],"og_image":"5721","indexnow_submitted_at":null,"gsc_index_status":{"verdict":"PASS","coverage_state":"Submitted and indexed","robotstxt_state":"ALLOWED","indexing_state":"INDEXING_ALLOWED","last_crawl_time":"2026-06-06T01:37:59Z","page_fetch_state":"SUCCESSFUL","crawled_as":"MOBILE","mobile_verdict":"VERDICT_UNSPECIFIED","mobile_issues":[],"rich_results_verdict":"PASS","rich_results_issues":[],"inspection_link":"https:\/\/search.google.com\/search-console\/inspect?resource_id=sc-domain:pewresearch.org&id=dLR4YaRaks7FCaHWttA_xg&utm_medium=link&utm_source=api","fetched_at":1780938026}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/prc_email_campaign\/311752","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/prc_email_campaign"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/prc_email_campaign"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/prc_email_campaign\/311752\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":313083,"href":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/prc_email_campaign\/311752\/revisions\/313083"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5721"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=311752"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=311752"},{"taxonomy":"bylines","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bylines?post=311752"},{"taxonomy":"prc_newsletter_list","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/prc_newsletter_list?post=311752"},{"taxonomy":"_post_visibility","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/_post_visibility?post=311752"},{"taxonomy":"formats","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/formats?post=311752"},{"taxonomy":"workflow-status","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/workflow-status?post=311752"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}