BALTIMORE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–WBFF/FOX 45 today announced the creation of “Spotlight on Maryland,” an investigative journalism unit designed to shed light on inefficiencies in state, county and local governments with the purpose of holding public officials in Maryland accountable. This new initiative will expand WBFF’s existing investigative and accountability reporting to other critical topics including the allocation of taxpayer funds to non-profits, campaign finance practices, corruption, and government inefficiency across Maryland. In addition to using existing station resources, FOX 45 is expanding staffing to add investigative reporters and researchers to the unit.
“News consumers want an honest presentation of the news and appreciate the hard work and dedication required to research and investigate issues that impact their lives. The fourth estate must provide citizens with important information they can use to check government power. Our job is to ask the questions our viewers would ask, hold our elected leaders accountable and be an advocate for Maryland taxpayers and we are committed to providing content that exposes the truth,” commented Scott Livingston, Senior Vice President of News for Sinclair.
“Spotlight on Maryland” builds on the station’s ongoing mission to serve the community by holding government officials accountable, a goal reflected in the success of WBFF’s Project Baltimore, which investigates the Baltimore area public school systems. Project Baltimore’s impactful, results-driven investigative reporting demonstrates the value of continuous investigative storytelling. Since its creation in 2017, Project Baltimore’s investigative work has been recognized by the journalism community with numerous national and regional honors, including a national Emmy award for investigative reporting, forty-one regional Emmy awards, four national IRE awards for investigative reporting, Regional Edward R. Murrow awards, National Headliner awards, SPJ Sigma Delta Chi awards, and a National Press Photographers Association Award for Best Documentary.
Project Baltimore’s ground-breaking reports have prompted internal government investigations as well as changes in government policies and new state laws.
“Spotlight on Maryland” will continue WBFF’s legacy of advocating for the community with unique reporting on under-examined arenas, sparking much-needed public engagement on governmental abuses, and holding elected officials accountable.
WBFF FOX45 is Sinclair Broadcast Group’s Baltimore, MD station. Sinclair Broadcast Group is a subsidiary of Sinclair Inc., (Nasdaq: SBGI), a diversified media company and a leading provider of local news and sports. The Company owns, operates and/or provides services to 185 television stations in 86 markets affiliated with all the major broadcast networks; owns Tennis Channel and multicast networks Comet, CHARGE!, TBD., and The Nest. Sinclair’s content is delivered via multiple platforms, including over-the-air, multi-channel video program distributors, and the nation’s largest streaming aggregator of local news content, NewsON. The Company regularly uses its website as a key source of Company information which can be accessed at www.sbgi.net.
