Jeff Barker resigns from The Baltimore Sun amid ownership concerns

Jeff Barker resigned from The Baltimore Sun after 25 years, saying the paper changed under David D. Smith’s ownership and that he “no longer fit there.” Barker’s exit landed as another blow to a newsroom still struggling with the fallout from Sinclair Broadcast Group executive chairman David D. Smith’s purchase of Baltimore Sun Media from Alden Global Capital in January 2024.

Barker said on X that he was proud of a stretch when the paper’s reporting “followed the facts,” thanked the sources whose trust helped his work and the readers who supported it, and said he was exploring new opportunities inside and outside journalism. Over the years, he covered politics and sports, including Maryland Terrapins basketball and football, work that put him near the center of Baltimore and Annapolis politics.

His resignation arrives after more than a year of internal upheaval that has become a test case for press independence in Maryland. The Baltimore Sun Guild said that in the first 12 months after Smith bought the paper, 19 members resigned, were laid off or were fired. The guild also said some departing staffers pointed to frustration with ownership decisions, including the publication of Sinclair content that did not meet previous standards.

The ownership fight has spilled far beyond the newsroom. In April, Gov. Wes Moore said The Sun had become “the paper of the right wing” and warned that owners like Smith were using local media “almost like their personal Twitter accounts.” Moore also said the paper’s investigation into his military record was tied to its new conservative ownership, turning a newsroom dispute into a broader political battle over who controls the region’s most prominent daily paper.

For Baltimore readers, the stakes run through the institutions that shape daily life: City Hall, City Schools, the courts and the city’s business community. Barker’s departure deepens questions about whether The Sun can still serve as a hard-edged watchdog on Maryland power centers under Sinclair ownership, or whether more veteran reporters will decide the paper no longer matches the standards that defined it for decades.