Maryland's largest daily newspaper, the Baltimore Sun, has been acquired by a conservative billionaire who is the biggest owner of local television stations in the US and has provided favorable coverage for former President Donald Trump.
Axios reports David D. Smith, the executive chairman of Sinclair, has acquired The Sun in a private deal from Alden Global Capital. This investment firm is one of the country's largest newspaper operators.
The purchase returns The Sun to local ownership. It is unclear how much Smith paid for the newspaper.
"I'm in the news business because I believe … we have an absolute responsibility to serve the public interest," Smith told The Washington Post.
He continued: "I think the paper can be hugely profitable and successful and serve a greater public interest over time."
So what could Smith mean when he stated "greater public interest over time"?
Well, firstly, the purchase of the newspaper comes as the 2024 presidential election cycle has kicked off. The paper has been analyzed by various media bias websites, such as Media Bias Fact Check, and found "slight to moderate liberal bias" in news reporting.
Under new ownership, the paper could be shifted from supporting leftist causes to more of a center-conservative bias.
At Smith's flagship WBFF TV station in Baltimore, investigative reporters like Chris Papst have made considerable efforts to uncover corruption in Maryland. Taking the TV station as a guide, this might only suggest that Smith's newspaper venture could begin a new focus on exposing corrupt Democrats who have controlled Baltimore City for more than half a century, as well as radical progressives in Annapolis.
Triffon G. Alatzas, the publisher and editor-in-chief of the newspaper, told the newsroom on Monday that Smith had bought The Sun "to support his hometown newspaper."
