Catherine Hollingsworth, Editor
A stretch of Race Track Road is flanked by horse head statues (pictured Dec. 4, 2022). In the background is the Covered Horse Bridge near the old Bowie Race Track. (Catherine Hollingsworth/The Bowie Sun)

Local ownership

The Bowie Sun is a biweekly community news site covering Bowie City Hall, local activism and area events. This mobile-friendly news site is locally owned with a local slant. Our original reporting is told through the lens of your neighbors in a way that humanizes current topics and trends.

Reputable journalism

Founded by a former journalist, The Bowie Sun is a member company of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ). Articles published in the Bowie Sun adhere to the SPJ Code of Ethics and the Associated Press Stylebook: 

  • News is different from opinion and advertising, and all three are clearly labeled. 
  • We do not publish press releases verbatim.
  • We give bylines to independent reporters, not PR professionals or partisan operatives.
  • We identify staff and sources or provide a valid reason why a source cannot be named. 
  • We are interested in a range of viewpoints on an issue. 
  • We do not pay or accept payment for interviews. 
  • We do not provide all the interview questions in advance.
  • We promptly correct mistakes. 

For more information, see the ethics section of our Terms of Service.

All about Bowie

The Bowie Sun prioritizes stories that involve a person or organization in greater Bowie. Bowie's boundaries can seem fuzzy to some residents who have a Bowie mailing address but technically live outside the city limits. Our coverage area includes some of the outskirts: Fairwood, Glenn Dale, Mitchellville, Woodmore and Queen Anne. 

Football coaches Alton Weaver (left) and Terry Cotten (right), of the Kettering-Largo-Mitchellville Boys & Girls Club, attended the grand opening of Liberty Sports Park near Bowie Oct. 23, 2022. (Catherine Hollingsworth/The Bowie Sun)

Community news

The Bowie Sun is the hometown alternative to other local media that are countywide or statewide in scope and only occasionally cover Bowie. Our core mission is to provide authentic community journalism focused on greater Bowie, a population of 100,000: 

  • Bowie City Hall: Through the lens of Bowie citizens, explain neighborhood concerns and plans under consideration by the Bowie City Council.
    • Bowie area innovators and change-makers: Profile civic groups, innovators and other change-makers and their impact on the community.
    • Bowie's elected officials: Conduct in-person pop-up polls: What has your elected official done for your community this month? Localize legislative issues, profile candidates and cover elections.  

    As we grow, we plan to include coverage of the arts, youth, small businesses and other topics.

    Early voting in the 2022 gubernatorial primary election took place during the summer. An election sign sits amid flowers in full bloom outside the Bowie Gymnasium polling site July 9, 2022. (Catherine Hollingsworth/The Bowie Sun)

    Why Bowie?

    Although the Washington, D.C., region is a major media market, none of the legacy media are laser-focused on Bowie. This culturally diverse city of nearly 60,000 is the largest municipality in Prince George's County.  

    With 40,000 active registered voters, Bowie is known for its civic-minded residents—the type of folks who pay attention to the news. Residents deserve consistent news coverage of Bowie's elected leaders and local change-makers.

    Rich in history and culture, the Bowie area is home to performing arts and sports venues, museums and centuries-old landmarks, beautiful parks, annual festivals, active nonprofit and business groups and historically black Bowie State University.  In the future, we plan to closely cover these broader aspects of the community.

    Why now?

    The Bowie Sun was formed in 2021 with a micro-grant from the Google News Initiative. It launched out of a sense of urgency after the closure of a 41-year-old local newspaper. 

    The U.S. newspaper industry as a whole has steadily declined over the past several years, along with a significant decrease in local government reporters. In a hopeful sign, journalism students have stepped in to help fill the gap in newsrooms across the country.

    Bowie Sun student reporter Austin Cole of U-MD interviews Scott Morrison (left), president of Liberty Sports Park, Oct. 23, 2022. (Catherine Hollingsworth/The Bowie Sun)

    Partnerships: In the fall of 2022, The Bowie Sun served as a media partner in the University of Maryland Local News Network, a program that pairs student reporters with local news media. The Bowie Sun currently provides off-campus work-study for students at another public university.

    Grants: The Bowie Sun actively seeks journalism grants from nonpartisan groups. 

    Individuals: Some of our first financial contributions came from Bowie residents, a sign of your faith in local news. Thank you!

    Sponsors: Contact us directly to sponsor a local resource guide, newsmaker forum or themed newsletter. Sponsors of The Bowie Sun must be nonpartisan.

    Hundreds have signed up for the forthcoming Bowie Sun email newsletter. Hundreds more follow the Bowie Sun on social media. Others have shared news tips, opinion pieces or commented on articles. Thank you! 

    We welcome suggestions as we reestablish community news in Bowie. Here's all the ways you can engage with the Bowie Sun:

    DJ Jack Lighting and the Joe Falero Band entertained festival goers Sept. 18, 2022. (Austin Cole/The Bowie Sun)

    Catherine Hollingsworth
    Founder and Editor
    The Bowie Sun
    P.O. Box 364
    Bowie, MD 20719
    info@bowiesun.com
    (202) 430-5513

     
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