Route 1 Reporter wants your opinions

Calling all opinionated Prince Georgians: Route 1 Reporter wants to publish your thoughts.

First allow me to re-introduce myself: My name is Michael Theis, editor, publisher, writer, typesetter, newsroom page and all-around one-man-band behind Route 1 Reporter. Since Route1Reporter.com launched in late May 2018, I have focused on local government policy issues in the city halls dotting the Baltimore and Rhode Island Avenue Route 1 corridors between Eastern Avenue and the Beltway. Since this is a paywalled site, generating a large number of page views is not as important to me as is growing and maintaining a community of subscribers. As a result, I’ve tried to practice slow journalism – the act of producing fewer, but longer and more-well developed stories worth the price of admission.

So far, I’ve covered a diverse range of topics such as development policy, financial oversight, annexation, and even a dash of international trade policy. Many of the topics behind these stories have generated passionate debates among members of Northern Prince George’s County’s sphere of civic influencers. And looking ahead, Prince George’s County’s communities have a host of important decisions facing their elected leaders. Topics such as the county’s proposed re-write of its zoning code, currently under debate by Prince George’s County Council, will shape the county for decades to come.

Now, in the interest of generating discourse on these important topics, Route 1 Reporter is accepting submissions for editorial content. I am particularly interested in hearing from the corridor’s elected leaders, locally-focused professional and business organizations and anyone else with a nuanced, reasoned take on issues relevant to the communities of Prince George’s County.

As a bonus for would-be writers out there who want to spread their message wide, these opinion articles will be placed outside the paywall for anyone to read, no subscription required.

Before you start typing away, however, consider contacting me first. I’d like to hear what you’re planning on writing so as to refine your pitch and approach. That’s a suggestion, not a requirement, though: If you have a letter to the editor sitting in your drafts folder, by all means fire it my way.

As I said earlier, I am looking for nuanced, reasoned opinions on local issues to publish. Avoid hyperbole, irrelevant slander, hucksterism or – and this is a problem with a lot of opinion submissions within the newsrooms I’ve worked – pieces that lack opinions. Personal attacks will not be published, and I reserve the right to edit your submissions for grammar and fact-checking before publication. Also; I prefer original pieces, though I am flexible on this. Of course, plagiarism is not allowed. Cite all your quotes and references!

If you’re interested in submitting an opinion article or letter to the editor, please contact me at MJTheis@Gmail.com.