The Baltimore Sun
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The Sun is the major newspaper in Baltimore, Maryland, with a daily press run of about 247,193 copies, and a Sunday run of 418,670 copies (9/30/05 Audit Bureau of Circulations report). It was founded on May 17, 1837, by printer Arunah Shepherdson Abell. The Abell family owned the paper through 1910, when the Black family had a controlling interest. The paper was sold in 1986 to the Times Mirror Company, the same week that the Baltimore News-American announced it would fold.
Although there is now only a morning edition, for many years there were two distinct editions--The Sun in the morning and The Evening Sun in the afternoon--each with its own reporting and editorial staff. The Evening Sun's final issue was published on September 15, 1995, having been published since 1910.
In 2000, Times Mirror merged with the Tribune Company.
On September 19, 2005, The Sun introduced a new layout design.
Prominent journalists who have worked at The Sun include H.L. Mencken, William Manchester, Russell Baker, Jack Germond, Jules Witcover, and Louis Rukeyser. The paper has won 15 Pulitzer Prizes.
The Sun has an active bulletin board where posters discuss and debate issues. The bulletin board includes a National/International forum, a Local forum, a Sports forum, and an Open Mike forum. The bulletin board is http://www.baltimoresun2.com/talk/index.php.
The paper has become embroiled in a controversy involving the current governor of Maryland, Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R). Ehrlich's press office issued an order in November 2004 banning state executive branch employees from talking to columnist Michael Olesker (who resigned on January 4, 2006, after accusations of plagiarism) and reporter David Nitkin. This led The Sun to file a First Amendment lawsuit against the Ehrlich administration. The Sun lost the first round in federal court; as of 2006, a decision on an appeal is pending.