Born out of the California Gold Rush, The Sacramento Bee is McClatchy Media's flagship news organization. As the region's leading media company, The Bee's online, mobile, print and related products reach 98% of the Sacramento market. The Bee has won six Pulitzer Prizes and is consistently recognized with industry awards for its superior journalism, setting a high standard for each of its 29 sibling news organizations across the United States, including four others in California. "The object of this newspaper is not only independence, but permanence." Those words, from a Bee editorial in the paper's first edition on Feb. 3, 1857, reflect a tradition Bee journalists uphold today, serving the needs of Northern Californians without becoming subservient to the whims of public opinion or the pressures of the powerful. 

In 2020, McClatchy transitioned to private ownership when it was acquired by Chatham Asset Management. The Chatham acquisition marked the beginning of a new era of opportunity for McClatchy, strengthening the company's financial position and enabling it to build on its 150-plus year history of independent, community-focused journalism.