For its outstanding commitment to excellence in journalism and blending traditional reporting with contemporary elements of design, multimedia and innovation in news-gathering techniques and presentation, the Baltimore Banner won first place earlier this year for best news website.
Based in Baltimore, Maryland, the Banner’s mission is to be the most essential and compelling news resource for the people of Maryland. Their successful use of short-form vertical video carousels, community commenting, integration of interactive polls, and in-depth reporting makes the Banner a model for a commitment to community engagement, journalistic integrity, and innovative spirit.
We asked newsroom product manager Tejal Wakchoure a couple of questions about their Best News Website achievement.
What inspired the digital strategies or innovations that led to this recognition?
2024 was a great year for The Banner in terms of subscriber growth, and we needed a way to build community among and with these subscribers. Although The Banner has held webinars where reporters could engage with readers on bigger stories like our investigation into abuse allegations at a Baltimore-based megachurch, we realized we lacked interaction on a more granular level.
While there were some concerns that launching comments would expose us to bad-faith actors, we set clear guidelines and trusted our subscriber community to prove us right — and we couldn’t have asked for a better outcome. Now, six months out, only four percent of 11,000+ comments posted on the site have been rejected by moderators. Our audience backs us up, especially when we’re doing things right (as you can see from all the love on our Pulitzer announcement!).
What’s one innovation you’re most excited about rolling out in the next year?
I’m personally most excited about rolling out local guides for Baltimore and beyond. Utility journalism is a key pillar of local news, and helping people navigate life in the Baltimore area has always been one of The Banner’s greatest strengths. As with all of our news products, we will focus on thoughtful design and storytelling as we navigate this project and keep our readers front-of-mind in both editorial curation and user experience.