The Baltimore Banner is a news website in Baltimore founded by the Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism, which is a nonprofit set up by Stewart W. Bainum Jr.[1] It launched June 14, 2022.[2] It had a staff of 125, with about 80 working the newsroom, as of March 2024.[3] The newspaper had 55,000 subscribers by the end of 2024, and brought in $13 million in revenue with 45% from subscriptions, 35% from advertising and 22% from philanthropy.[4]
| Type | Online newspaper |
|---|---|
| Publisher | The Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism (2022-present) Baltimore Banner Co. (1965) |
| Editor-in-chief | Brian McGrory (interim) |
| CEO | Bob Cohn |
| Language | English |
| Headquarters | 621 East Pratt Street |
| City | Baltimore, Maryland |
| Country | United States |
| Website | thebaltimorebanner |
The Banner won the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting in recognition of its coverage of drug overdoses.[5]
History
editBainum stated The Baltimore Banner takes its name from the Star-Spangled Banner flag that waved over Fort McHenry in 1814 during the War of 1812 and gave its name to the American national anthem.[6] Others have cited other inspiration.[7]
After Alden Global Capital refused an offer from Bainum to buy The Baltimore Sun as part of their 2021 acquisition of Tribune Publishing, Bainum backed an all-digital, nonprofit competitor to be named The Baltimore Banner in 2022, owned by The Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism.[7][8] It launched with 42 journalists and planned to expand to 70 by the end of the year.[9][10] Bainum cited his experience from the Maryland State Legislature in the 1970s, when "he marveled at the reporters’ ability to sort the honest politicians from the 'political whores' by exposing abuses of power."[11] "Mr. Bainum’s goal... is to build the largest newsroom in Maryland — more than 100 journalists," reported The New York Times.[12]
On October 27, 2021, The Venetoulis Institute announced the hiring of former Los Angeles Times managing editor Kimi Yoshino as the Banner's editor-in-chief.[13] The next day, The Institute announced the hiring of Klas Uden as Chief Marketing Officer, Shameel Arafin as Chief Product Officer, Early Cokley as Head of Technology, and Andre Jones as Head of People, Culture and Diversity.[14] In December 2021, the Venetoulis Institute has hired former Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones executive Imtiaz Patel as chief executive officer.[15] On December 19, 2023, the news organization announced that Bob Cohn, former President of The Economist magazine, had been named Chief Executive Officer, replacing Patel, who left in July 2023.[16]
The Banner has hired several current and former Sun reporters, including crime reporter Justin Fenton, education reporter Liz Bowie, enterprise reporter Tim Prudente, and statehouse reporter Pam Wood.[17] The Banner has also set up a “Creatives in Residence” program to "feature the work of Baltimore-area artists and writers." At launch, this group included D. Watkins, Kondwani Fidel, Kerry Graham, and Mikea Hugley.[18]
Shortly before its launch, the Banner struck a partnership with WYPR, an NPR affiliate. The outlets pledged to share content and work together to cover stories and develop joint programming.[19] In August 2022, the station announced a partnership with WJZ-TV, a CBS-owned and operated station. The two outlets share online content and Banner journalists appear on the station's 9 a.m. newscasts.[20]
The Baltimore Banner bolstered its school sports coverage with its August 2022 acquisition of Varsity Sports Network.[21]
In March 2024, the Banner announced plans to expand its editorial coverage from the city into Baltimore County, and from there to Anne Arundel County and Howard County.[3]
In February 2025, the Banner won a Polk Award for its coverage of Baltimore's drug overdose crisis.[22] Reporters Alissa Zhu and Nick Thieme, and photojournalist Jessica Gallagher later won a Pulitzer in local reporting, shared with the New York Times, for the same series of stories.[5][23]
In May 2025, Yoshino departed the Banner to become a managing editor at The Washington Post. Brian McGrory, former editor-in-chief of The Boston Globe, chair of the journalism department at Boston University and a board member for the Banner's parent organization, will serve as interim editor while a nationwide search is conducted for Yoshino's successor.[24]
2005 On the Forward Edge
editIn 2005, the Baltimore Banner featured in a chapter of a novelistic retelling of history called On the Forward Edge by Robert D. Loevy, professor emeritus at Colorado College.[25] The name here substitutes for a real-life newspaper (Baltimore News-Post), owned by the "Patriot Newspaper chain" (Hearst Corporation), competing with the Baltimore Beacon (Baltimore Sun). The chapter focuses on a civil rights protest at a local restaurant chain, amidst which the protagonist realizes: "it was the first time in history that photographs of African-Americans, except for wanted criminals, were printed in the Baltimore Banner."[26]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "A Letter from the Founder of the Venetoulis Institute". October 26, 2021.
- ^ Dieterle, Marcus (June 14, 2022). "Baltimore Banner officially launches, plans to expand to 70 journalists by end of year". The Baltimore Banner. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
- ^ a b Fischer, Sara (March 18, 2024). "Exclusive: The Baltimore Banner plans expansion to broader Maryland". Axios. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
- ^ Stenberg, Mark (December 19, 2024). "Baltimore Banner to Top $13 Million in Revenue". Adweek. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
- ^ Bainum, Jr., Stewart (October 26, 2021). "A Letter from the Founder of The Venetoulis Institute". The Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
- ^ a b Kast, Sheilah (October 27, 2021). "'Willing to Experiment': Stewart Bainum Unveils Plans for a Digital New Site Tuned to Baltimore". WYPR. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
- ^ "Stewart Bainum on plans for the news journal "Baltimore Banner"". WYPR. November 4, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
- ^ Coppins, McKay (October 14, 2021). "The Men Who Are Killing America's Newspapers". The Atlantic Monthly. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
- ^ "Baltimore Banner officially launches, plans to expand to 70 journalists by end of year". Baltimore Brew. July 14, 2022. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
- ^ Coppins, McKay (October 14, 2021). "A Secretive Hedge Fund is Gutting Newsrooms: Inside Alden Global Capital". The Atlantic Monthly. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
- ^ Tracy, Marc (October 14, 2021). "The executive who tried to buy The Baltimore Sun plans a rival news outlet". The New York Times. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
Mr. Bainum's goal, Mr. Patel added, is to build the largest newsroom in Maryland — more than 100 journalists — and lean on subscription sales to achieve sustainability. The Baltimore Banner will be run as a nonprofit organization and will not offer print editions.
- ^ Ellison, Sarah (October 26, 2021). "Bainum unveils plans for new Baltimore Banner news site — and hires Kimi Yoshino, a top L.A. Times editor, to run it". Washington Post. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
- ^ "The Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism Expands C-Suite With Executive Hires". PR Newswire. October 28, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
- ^ "Leadership". The Venetoulis Institute. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
- ^ "The Baltimore Banner Selects Bob Cohn as Chief Executive Officer". PR Newswire. December 19, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
- ^ Dieterle, Marcus (January 5, 2022). "Baltimore Banner hires Sun reporters, other Baltimore-area journalists". Baltimore Fishbowl. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
- ^ Dieterle, Marcus (June 14, 2022). "Baltimore Banner officially launches, plans to expand to 70 journalists by end of year". Baltimore Fishbowl. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ "The Baltimore Banner and WYPR Announce Partnership to Strengthen Local News In Maryland". WYPR. May 19, 2022. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
- ^ Koch, Denise (August 19, 2022). "WJZ, Baltimore Banner set to launch partnership - CBS Baltimore". CBS News. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
- ^ "Varsity Sports Network - Maryland high school sports". The Baltimore Banner. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
- ^ Boteler, Cody (February 17, 2025). "The Banner wins Polk Award for coverage of Baltimore's overdose crisis". The Baltimore Banner. Retrieved February 17, 2025.
- ^ LaForme, Ren (May 5, 2025). "Here are the winners of the 2025 Pulitzer Prizes". Poynter.
- ^ Bowie, Liz (May 22, 2025). "Founding editor Kimi Yoshino to leave The Banner for The Washington Post". The Baltimore Banner. Retrieved May 22, 2025.
- ^ "Robert D. Loevy Home Page". Colorado College. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ Loevy, Robert D. (2005). "Mass Movements: Confronting the Established Order". On the Forward Edge: American Government and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. University Press of America. pp. 14–15, 17–18, 22–23 ("first time"), 25, 28, 31, 35 ("Patriot Newspaper chain"), 53, 83, 98, 105–106, 112, 198. ISBN 9780761833277. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
External links
edit- The Baltimore Banner (Baltimore, Md.) 1965-1965 @ Library of Congress
- Baltimore Banner Collection (1965) @ Maryland State Archives
- The Venetoulis Institute For Local Journalism