Baltimore Sun Moves Toward Nonprofit Status

I think this is a great step in the right direction for journalism; throwing off the shackles of corporate ownership and profit-focused obligation is a great thing.

“As part of the agreement, Alden signed a $65 million nonbinding deal to sell The Baltimore Sun to Sunlight for All Institute, a public charity formed by Stewart Bainum Jr., chairman of Choice Hotels International, the hotel chain based in Rockville, Maryland. The nonprofit group is also buying several other papers in the state, including the Capital Gazette in Annapolis, the Carroll County Times and several Baltimore-based weeklies and magazines.Bainum has many of the characteristics that used to be common among owners of local newspapers before relentless rounds of consolidation. He is a wealthy individual who oversees a public company and demonstrated an interest in public issues as a former Democratic member of Maryland’s legislature. Ideally, a civic-mindedness grounded in business realities will translate into fruitful efforts to sustain independent journalism for Maryland.”