Maryland

Press

The Maryland Gazette, established at Annapolis in 1727, was the state's first newspaper. It wasn't until 1773 that Baltimore got its first paper, the Maryland Journal and Baltimore Advertiser, but by 1820 there were five highly partisan papers in the city. The Baltimore Sun, founded in 1837, reached its heyday after 1906, when H. L. Mencken became a staff writer. Mencken, who was also an important editor and critic, helped found the American Mercury magazine in 1924.

As of 2002, Maryland had 10 morning and 4 afternoon dailies, as well as 8 Sunday papers. The most influential newspaper published in Baltimore is the Sun (daily, 306,341; Sunday, 474,230). The Washington Post (759,864 daily; 1,059,646 Sundays) is also widely read in Maryland.