Jeff Barker
@barkman42.bsky.social
Politics and Sports Reporter formerly @ The Baltimore Sun | specializing in enterprise, multimedia and new approaches. Rote is the enemy.
Most schools nationally restrict cell phone use in class. The issue in Montgomery County MD and some other areas isn’t so much the policy itself, but what “phone-free” actually looks like — and the uneven, sometimes awkward process of enforcing it. www.washingtonsun.com/metro/maryla...
Montgomery County High Schools Are Navigating a New Cellphone Ban
Students and parents have flagged “inconsistencies” in the rollout of the strict new rules.
washingtonsun.com
Can Maryland save the Triple Crown and keep the Preakness… relevant ? It may be the most important period in the state’s racing history, and I try (with an expert’s help in a video) to make sense of the entanglement. Link here: jeffbarker8.substack.com/p/sources-sa...
Sources say Maryland is in talks to preserve horse racing’s Triple Crown. Can it be saved?
The effort comes as the state is investing half a billion dollars in horse racing
jeffbarker8.substack.com
Taxpayer dollars for colleges and universities have shrunk over the last 15 years. Now, college sports needs state funding to remain competitive. "A small but growing number of athletic programs, including UNC, Texas Christian and Wisconsin-Madison receive millions. apnews.com/article/coll...
States pour taxpayer dollars into college sports as athlete pay, soaring costs squeeze budgets
A growing number of states are providing tax dollars to university athletics. The move comes as major college sports programs now are paying millions of dollars to athletes.
apnews.com
Diane Rehm interviewed me today by video on Substack and asked me why I resigned from The Baltimore Sun after 25 years, what I tell students hoping to enter the profession, and what I’m working on. First link below: tinyurl.com/z5kx8krt
DIANE REHM (@dianerehm)
Subscribe to get the full video when it's released.
tinyurl.com
Unfortunately, politeness these days can be mistaken for pretense. tinyurl.com/4ux6jpas
Lawmakers from Maryland and elsewhere are cursing more. Does it make them more relatable, or is it just weird?
Lawmakers used to worry that cursing would make them look disrespectful.
tinyurl.com
Sen. Chris Van Hollen spoke with me about a possible presidential run and a party struggling with its brand. The conversation ranged from Manchin to Mamdani. Here’s what he said: Story link here: tinyurl.com/3zdtm9ju
Mamdani? Manchin? Potential 2028 contender Van Hollen says Democrats mustn’t run from intraparty debate
I was recently asking Democratic Maryland Sen.
tinyurl.com
Members of the anonymous art collective behind the Trump-Epstein sculptures on the National Mall communicate with their permit coordinator using burner phones. I talked with Carol Flaisher—the woman who helps get the group’s satirical works onto the Mall jeffbarker8.substack.com/p/the-secret...
The secret group behind the Trump-Epstein statue is back. Here’s who helps get their art displayed—and why.
Film and television location manager Carol Flaisher doesn’t know who she’s working with on one of her latest projects---at least not exactly -– and that’s by design.
jeffbarker8.substack.com
Journalism exercise: Let’s examine a Baltimore Sun headline — I once taught college journalism, so I'm treating today's Substack column like a class exercise. I'll provide the facts behind a r Maryland story, and you decide whether the headline fairly reflects the evidence. tinyurl.com/75u9jhh2
A journalism exercise: Examining a Baltimore Sun headline
I once taught college journalism, so I'm going to treat today's column like a class exercise.
tinyurl.com
“My credibility is precious. In a sense, it’s all I have. It could all go away if I write irresponsibly or am associated with a publication people don’t know whether to trust.” tinyurl.com/yeymar6f
I resigned because of the journalism, not the politics
Years ago, an Arizona newspaper editor asked me to insert a few paragraphs about the Keating Five scandal into a story about John McCain. The Arizona senator, who died in 2018, had been criticized by ...
tinyurl.com
I no longer fit there. I’m grateful to the sources whose trust enabled me to report responsibly, and to the readers who supported our work. I’m exploring new opportunities inside and outside journalism. My DMs are open.
I’m not saying anything readers can’t see for themselves, but The Sun has changed since its purchase by David Smith, executive chairman of the Sinclair Broadcast Group. (MORE).
I’ve resigned from The Baltimore Sun after 25 years of politics and sports reporting. I was proud to have been there during a long period when our reporting followed the facts wherever they happened to lead. (MORE) .
I’ve neglected Bluesky. So, with apologies to the platform, I’m posting this news from three days ago with a pledge to stay more current:. (MIORE)
This week’s Backchannel column: It's easy to focus on red vs. blue, the omnipresent buzz from the Capitol of partisan putdowns and political gamesmanship. The Trump-federal courts war is less visible, but it feels at least as significant as the partisan warfare www.baltimoresun.com/2026/05/26/a...
Abrego Garcia case illustrates a conflict bigger than red vs. blue
Courts dismiss charges all the time, but the judge’s language in Abrego Carcia’s case felt different, says Jeff Barker in this week’s Backchannel.
baltimoresun.com
Exclusive: Maryland seeks ownership of Preakness brand for $85M, a move that would further bind the historic race to the state where it has been run for more than 150 years, according to five sources www.baltimoresun.com/2026/05/13/p...
baltimoresun.com
This week’s column: There is something Americana — and a little showy — about the blue backyard pool. This is the pool Clark wanted in “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.” A natural-looking pool favors discretion over display. That’s not Trump (gift link) www.baltimoresun.com/2026/05/10/t...
Trump and the bright-blue pool; Maryland vs. Kalshi analyzed
There is something Americana — and a little showy — about the blue, backyard pool. Think about the pool that Clark Griswold wanted for his family in “Christmas Vacation.”
baltimoresun.com
This week’s Backchannel: I understand the lawmaker’s selection of Aristotle as a protest symbol only in the way you leave an arts film nodding as if you got the premise, but really, you’re not quite sure. (free column preview). — www.baltimoresun.com/2026/03/30/b...
Views from Annapolis: Aristotle clocks in, potato therapy still going strong
I understand his selection of Aristotle only in the way you leave an arts film nodding as if you got the premise, but really you’re not quite sure.
baltimoresun.com
New from me: As RFK Jr. has ascended from the health contrarian fringe to the center of American health care, he's been bolstered behind the scenes by a lesser-known figure. Meet the man building a MAHA political empire behind Kennedy: www.bostonglobe.com/2026/03/25/n...
‘We’re on the inside now’: Meet the man building a political empire behind RFK Jr. - The Boston Globe
A longtime publisher and ally of Kennedy’s, Tony Lyons has built a sprawling political operation to promote Kennedy and his “Make America Healthy Again” brand.
bostonglobe.com
This week’s Backchannel column. ———————- “I don’t want to only see the best teams, which are inevitably the schools with the most money. Give me a low-budget newbie with a weird mascot whose players and supporters are delighted to be in the tournament.” www.baltimoresun.com/2026/03/16/q...
Wes Moore’s dilemma, a candidate shortage, and March Madness
Gerrymandering reminds me of baseball teams manipulating the dimensions of their ballparks (as the Orioles have done) to suit their particular roster strengths.
baltimoresun.com
I’ve heard fans say the foul poles were transported from Memorial Stadium, the #Orioles former home, to Camden Yards when the new venue opened in 1992. That’s not exactly true. www.baltimoresun.com/2026/03/09/c...
Cool Camden Yards trivia you may not know
Think you know Oriole Park at Camden Yards? Here is some ballpark trivia courtesy of one of the stadium’s designers
baltimoresun.com
The governor’s video was an invitation for the women’s hockey team to come to Annapolis. But Wes Moore’s invitation was also something else — an opportunity to tweak Trump , and do it with a smile rather than a scowl. All that was missing was a wink. www.baltimoresun.com/2026/03/02/m...
Gov. Moore v. Flavor Flav? A new contender emerges to host U.S. women’s hockey team
The battle for will would host the U.S. Olympic women’s hockey team gained a new competitor: hip-hop icon Flavor Flav.
baltimoresun.com
Gov. Wes Moore — entering territory more often reserved for presidents— invites US Women's Hockey gold medalists to Maryland. www.baltimoresun.com/2026/02/26/g...
baltimoresun.com
Rep. Sarah Elfreth, Democrat, with a Game of Thrones reference on SOTU: “That was all about demonizing our immigrant neighbors and then throwing that challenge to us and encouraging my Republican colleagues to yell the word ‘shame’ at us like this is a Game of Thrones episode,” she said.
Oops. By Jeff Barker. nam13.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...
Oops: Md. GOP suggested candidates use Democrats’ private campaign tool
Maryland GOP accidentally encouraged its candidates to use a software platform to target voters administered by the Democratic National Committee.
nam13.safelinks.protection.outlook.com
You don’t realize how pervasive our phone culture is — and how guarded we can be — until you see people who are behaving so differently. My column on the monks’ Walk for Peace — www.baltimoresun.com/2026/02/16/m...
Monks’ peace walk leaves political Annapolis captivated by calm
Members of the crowd, which seemed to number in the thousands at its peak, brought flowers and welcoming signs, and shivered in the cold. Some were delighted to catch glimpses of the monk’s rescue …
baltimoresun.com
My Backchannel column this week is on a new front in the very personal struggle between federal workers and President Donald Trump. (gift link). — www.baltimoresun.com/2026/02/08/f...
Federal workers say they face new job threat, and the dispute feels personal
A specific new threat to federal workers is coming, Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen said at a Capitol news conference last week announcing the Federal Workforce Caucus.
baltimoresun.com
My Backchannel column for this week: Democrats love the new Springsteen protest song. — But I couldn’t help but wonder: What if you are a Springsteen fan … and a Republican? Can you love the music but disregard the message? www.baltimoresun.com/2026/02/02/m...
Maryland Democrats love Springsteen protest song. What do Republican ‘Boss’ fans think?
The Bruce Springsteen track, titled “Streets of Minneapolis,” references the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by immigration enforcement agents.
baltimoresun.com
Exclusive: Moore campaign accepted, then returned, donations from executive tied to firm seeking state contract. By Jeff Barker. — www.baltimoresun.com/2026/01/29/m...
Moore campaign accepted, then returned, donations from executive tied to firm seeking state contract
“The Moore-Miller campaign holds itself to the highest ethical standards, and the campaign returned this donation when we became aware the donor was a subcontractor in an active procurement with th…
baltimoresun.com
