Postcards: Onward... Baltimore.

There's a big story out of Charm City... and it's not the NFL playoffs. This could be a turning point for local journalism, and I gladly welcome it.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Forwarded this email? [Subscribe here]() for more You are a free subscriber to Postcards from the Florida Republic. To upgrade to paid and receive the daily Republic Risk Letter, [subscribe here](. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Postcards: Onward... Baltimore.]( There's a big story out of Charm City... and it's not the NFL playoffs. This could be a turning point for local journalism, and I gladly welcome it. [Garrett {NAME}]( Jan 20   [READ IN APP](   Dear Fellow Expat: One of the things that I do miss out of my time in Maryland was access to the Baltimore Sun newspaper. Some of the greatest sports journalists came out of that newspaper - Ken Rosenthal, Jon Steadman, Tim Kurkjian, and more enjoyed the great Baltimore Orioles teams of the 1980s and 1990s. The great writer David Simon (creator of Homicide and The Wire) cut his teeth as a crime reporter - and developed what I believe to be the greatest TV show of all time (The Wire) - many apologies for my friends from New Jersey who argue The Sopranos. I also grew up on the Business section of that paper as well, learning at an early age how to read the stock ticker of McCormick & Co. (MKC). If you want to know how I ended up a journalism student at Northwestern University’s Medill School, it’s proudly rooted in my exposure to that newspaper. I distinctly remember being six years old at Warren Elementary School and creating a project for class called “The {NAME}more Sun” - which my teacher said was “clever.” Sadly, like most newspapers of this era, the medium has been on a downward trajectory. Subscriptions have cratered, the sports section is largely one man named Mike Preston complaining about everything, and the business section is largely Associated Press articles with little exposure to the Baltimore Community. But something may change. David Smith - the CEO of Sinclair Group (SBGI) - has purchased the Baltimore Sun from a private equity company with his own money. Sinclair Group leans right of center - and we’re already seeing the collective panic of liberal reporters arguing that somehow Smith’s purchase is bad news for the future of journalism. Here’s the pearl-clutching headline from The New Republic, a media outlet where its publishers couldn’t love the smell of their own body odor more if they tried… A “dangerous vision…” Like what? Holding a city where back-to-back mayors have gone to jail or prison accountable? Baltimore is one of three cities in America that doesn’t have county oversight. And it shows. I try to do business there every now and then, and every single person in the town with even a scrap of political power has their hand out. People ask me often if Baltimore is like “The Wire.” It’s worse… corrupt to the core. Yet, David Smith taking over a newspaper is the bigger problem? Baltimore hasn’t had a conservative mayor since World War II. [Poynter wrote a scathing indictment of Smith]( comparing him to Sam Zell (a man who loves a good curse word and former owner of the Tribune Company). This line stood out… Emphasis mine… Smith’s political contributions and his installation of conservative commentator Armstrong Williams as part owner have already dismayed locals on the left. At the meeting, he ratcheted up, indicating his top focus for government reform is a conservative critique of public schools he wants the Sun to adopt. And how is this a bad thing? Baltimore spends more money than all by two school districts in the United States, and the numbers are a complete disaster. This is from [WBFF in Baltimore last summer…]( Project Baltimore found that 40% of Baltimore City high schools, where the state exam was given, did not have any students score proficient in math. Not one student. “This is educational homicide,” said Jason Rodriguez, deputy director of People Empowered by the Struggle, a Baltimore-based nonprofit. God forbid we want children to learn. God forbid we want children to grow up and be productive members of society. God forbid we want accountability out of our leadership. Jason La Canfora - a local Baltimore sports analyst with medium talent - has completely lost his mind as well. Quite honestly, it’s interesting to watch. This guy has Chris Dodd in his Twitter profile picture - making him impossible to take seriously. The people freaking out about this are either stupid or they have skin in the game - grand grifters of a failing city. I look forward to Smith’s exercise in reigniting local journalism with a different approach - even if I don’t agree with the editorial board all of the time. I’m happy to help them rebuild their Business section so that Marylanders understand the value of being investors in the financial markets. I hope Sinclair’s stock doubles. Stay positive, Garrett {NAME} Disclaimer Nothing in this email should be considered personalized financial advice. 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