Page 11 - Baltimore_Sun_Editorial

The Sun’s coverage there earned it two Pulitzer Prize finalist honors, one for breaking news
“reflecting the newsroom’s knowledge of the community and advancing the conversation about
police violence” and one for the editorial board, for writing “that demanded accountability …
while also offering guidance to a troubled city,” according to the prize committee.

When The Sun moved offices to East
Cromwell Street in 2018, we covered one
wall with a photo from a protest in Gray’s
Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood. It
shows a sea of mostly Black faces
crowded together, beneath “Black Lives
Matter” and “Stop Police Terror” signs.
It’s a better reminder of what we are here
to do than the Mencken quote for various
reasons, not the least of which is that it’s
about the people we serve, rather than
about us. But a quote or a picture doesn’t
a paper make. Actions speak louder than
words, even in the newspaper business.
Image on the wall of the Sandtown Conference Room at
The Baltimore Sun. (Tricia Bishop/Baltimore Sun staff) We’re still grappling with improving

diversity in our staff and our coverage.
Reporting that arises directly from
sources in the region’s Black communities has long been lacking in The Sun, largely because the
connection is lacking. We’re not out there enough, and we’re not trusted enough. We are working
on that, and looking into an impression some hold that The Sun is harder on Black officials than
white. Unlike in years before, we’re talking about these issues — routinely — and how to
address them.

To that end, we ask for your input, as readers and community members. How can we better
connect? How can our reporting be more relevant? How can we better serve? What wrongs have
we yet to right? Please share your thoughts on our past, present or future at
talkback@baltimoresun.com, with the word “apology” in the subject line. Some responses will
be compiled for publication, but we will read and consider all of them.

We are your newspaper, and we want to serve your interests and that of the public good as a
whole.

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