Veteran Sports Reporter Quits The Baltimore Sun in Scathing Protest of New Ownership

Lea Skene/AP

A veteran reporter from The Baltimore Sun trashed the newspaper’s new leadership in a social media post announcing his resignation.

On Monday afternoon, Jeff Barker took to X/Twitter to reveal time with The Baltimore Sun had come to an end after more than two decades. In the tweet, Barker made it clear his resignation was motivated by the fact that he “no longer fit” at the paper under its current leadership.

“I’ve resigned from The Baltimore Sun after 25 years of politics and sports reporting,” Barker said. “I was proud to have been there during a long period when our reporting followed the facts wherever they happened to lead. I’m not saying anything readers can’t see for themselves, but The Sun has changed since its purchase by David Smith, executive chairman of the Sinclair Broadcast Group. I no longer fit there. I’m grateful to the sources whose trust enabled me to report responsibly, and to the readers who supported our work. I’m exploring new opportunities inside and outside journalism. My DMs are open.”

The tweet got the attention of a handful of big names in political media, including Chuck Todd and NewsBusters editor Curtis Houck.

Late last year, Sinclair made national headlines when it made the decision not to broadcast Jimmy Kimmel’s return to TV. Kimmel was previously suspended for on-air comments he made regarding the death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.

The broadcast company later reported a dip in revenue during that quarter, but denied the Kimmel fiasco had anything to do with it.

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