Now’s the time to protest the Sun’s cutbacks.

When live racing resumed in Maryland in August after the annual summer break, racing entries and results in daily print editions of the Baltimore Sun did not. The newspaper wants readers to visit its Web site for this information.
It’s a sign of the times, of course. Major newspapers are shifting more of their editorial content online, and also cutting back ever more drastically on their coverage of horse racing.

But those explanations don’t make sense.  
The Sun is turning its back on some of its most loyal readers—people who used to follow the entries and results at Laurel Park and Pimlico on a regular basis. Many of them don’t use computers. And people who go online to hunt for racing statistics almost never choose a newspaper Web site. If the Sun is concerned about maintaining its reader base (and what publication isn’t?), its cavalier disregard for horse racing is taking it in the wrong direction.

Maryland Racing Commission chairman John P. McDaniel assembled a group of industry representatives who were scheduled to meet with Sunpapers editors in mid-September.

Meanwhile, racing fans are urged to contact the Sun directly. Protests from readers have made an impact in the past.  

If you are concerned about the Sun’s coverage of racing, please contact Tim Wheatley, executive sports editor (tim.wheatley@baltsun.com); Ron Fritz, sports editor (ron.fritz@baltsun.com); or sports@baltsun.com.
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