• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, January 27, 2025

It is unlikely that many newshounds are shocked when their publications are sold: they are skilled at knowing such things. But those slow on the uptake may soon have assistance in the state of Maryland.  

Maryland HB51 would require that news organizations provide 120-day notice to workers and the state labor department prior to a sale. Such a bill has been passed in Illinois.

“This bill would give us a 120 day period to slow things down and try to find alternative owners so we’re not just gobbled up by the next private equity fund that’s going to destroy a great institution in our communities,” said Jon Schleuss, president of NewsGuild-CWA, in testimony to the Maryland House’s Economic Matters Committee last week.  

To some degree, this bill was prompted by local experience.  

In 2021, hotel billionaire Stewart Bainum Jr. attempted to acquire the Baltimore Sun when Alden Global Capital was taking over the Sun from Tribune Publishing. Rebuffed, Bainum launched the Baltimore Banner while Alden sold the Sun to David Smith, chairman of Sinclair Broadcast Group. 

Local journalists feared that Smith would impose his conservative political beliefs on the Sun.

Politics aside, an equally big worry for many in situations like this is simple job security.  

“The constantly changing ownership has been a major distraction for journalists who just want to do our jobs reporting the news and seeking the truth,” Schleuss said to the Maryland House’s Economic Matters Committee. “The financialization and consolidation of the news is destroying the entire industry.”

Schleuss added, “We’ve lost more than 43,000 newspaper journalist jobs, which is undermining our democracy directly.”

It’s hard to argue with that—hard-working staffs deserve a heads-up. Support HB51.