• by Ray Schultz , June 14, 2023

The nonprofit Baltimore Banner has pulled down its paywall for two days in honor of its first anniversary. 

"To celebrate, we have dropped our paywall for today (Wednesday) and tomorrow so anyone can access our stories, regardless of subscription status, " writes CEO and Publishers Imtiaz Patel.

Patel argues that the Banner has a special role to play. 

“As a nonprofit independent news organization owned by The Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism, our mission is to have a positive impact on Baltimore and the region,” Patel writes. 

Patel continues, “We exist for no other purpose. We are not here to make money like hedge fund owners of local news — we are here to tell the stories of our communities, to unite, to inspire and make a difference in the lives of our community through storytelling. This is the standard we hold ourselves to.”

Patel himself is stepping down on July 7 to join the senior leadership of Gannett.

Launched in June  2022, the Banner now has 100 employees, including around 65 in the newsroom. The product was founded in the wake of Alden Global Capital’s takeover of Tribune Publishing properties nationwide. 

According to Patel, the Banner has “nearly 75,000 subscribers with paid access, and last month had more than a million unique visitors to our site.”