Readers, writers, editors, advertisers, friends, and fans gathered at Clavel on Sunday evening to celebrate 15 years of Baltimore Fishbowl.
What began in 2011 as a small local news startup has grown into a daily source of news, culture, commentary and conversation for Baltimore. Last night’s party brought together many of the people who have helped shape that journey, from longtime readers and contributors to community leaders, business owners and friends of the Fishbowl.
Guests enjoyed tacos, margaritas, mariachis, and plenty of memories while reflecting on 15 years of stories, comments, neighborhood news and the people who make Baltimore such a fascinating place to cover.
As part of the celebration, we looked back at the most-read stories from each year of Baltimore Fishbowl from our 2011 behind-the-scenes look at Johns Hopkins Medical School admissions, to the Baltimore feminists who pranked Victoria’s Secret in 2012, the Gun Trace Task Force scandal, our influential investigation into racial disparities in marijuana arrests, the COVID-19 pandemic, Port Covington, several appearances of John Waters’ stories, and, most recently, the Chesapeake Baysox Oyster Catchers logo that launched a thousand double entendres, a skill at which our staff excels.
Fifteen Years of Baltimore Fishbowl’s Top Stories
2011 – An Inside Look at Johns Hopkins Med School Admissions by Rachel Monroe
A rare behind-the-scenes look at the fiercely competitive admissions process at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, revealing what it really takes to get into one of the nation’s top medical schools.
2012 – Baltimore Feminists Prank Victoria’s Secret and Spark an Internet Revolution by Rachel Monroe
A group of Baltimore feminists pulled off a prank on Victoria’s Secret that went viral, ignited a national conversation about body image, and became an early internet-era activism sensation.
2013 – Worst Marylander of the Week Award: The Deranged Sorority Girl by Rachel Monroe
A profanity-laced, racist rant from a University of Maryland sorority member went wildly viral, turning a Maryland college student into an overnight internet sensation and fueling debate about Greek life culture.
2014 – Homesick for Baltimore? Order Baltimore in a Box by Rachel Monroe
A clever care package business founded by two Baltimoreans turned hometown nostalgia into a thriving company by shipping Berger cookies, Old Bay, and other Baltimore favorites to natives across the country.
2015 – Under Armour Plans to Build Its Own Neighborhood by Rachel Monroe
Under Armour’s ambitious plan to transform Port Covington into a sprawling mini-city anchored by a massive new headquarters, whiskey distillery, and even a possible horse farm caught readers’ attention. Of course, it didn’t turn out as planned.
2016 – John Waters Briefly Hospitalized, Misses His Own Annual Christmas Party by Ed Gunts
Filmmaker and native son John Waters was briefly hospitalized with pneumonia and forced to miss his annual Christmas party, causing alarm among anxious fans across Baltimore.
2017 – Baltimore Police Accused of Stealing From Citizens, Claiming OT on Vacation by Stephen Babcock
One of our first stories on the Gun Trace Task Force scandal shocked the city with reports of police planting evidence, stealing, falsifying overtime, and more.
2018 – Structural Racism and Cannabis: Black Baltimoreans Disproportionately Arrested for Weed After Decriminalization by Ethan McLeod, Brandon Soderbergh, and Andy Friedman
Our data-driven, deep-dive story revealed that Black Baltimoreans were arrested for marijuana at far higher rates despite decriminalization. One month after we ran the story, Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby announced her office would stop prosecuting marijuana possession cases.
2019 – Mary Bubala Let Go from WJZ-TV After Question About Race, Gender and Leadership of Mayors by Brandon Weigel
Public backlash led to the firing of WJZ anchor Mary Bubala after she questioned whether Baltimore needed a “different kind of leadership” following the tenures of three Black female mayors.
2020 – Five Baltimore ZIP Codes Have Nearly Half of City’s Confirmed COVID-19 Cases by Marcus Dieterle
As COVID-19 consumed Baltimore in 2020, our story on the five ZIP codes with the highest infection rates became essential reading for anxious residents tracking the virus neighborhood by neighborhood.
2021 – John Waters Turns 75 Today and He’s Not Slowing Down by Ed Gunts
When Baltimore filmmaking legend John Waters turned 75, we marked the occasion with an overview of the Pope of Trash’s 2021 engagements and his plans to keep going.
2022 – Bengies Drive-In Theatre Receives Backlash for ‘Outdated’ Employment Policy by Marcus Dieterle
The iconic Bengies Drive-In in Middle River sparked social media outrage after its strict employee rules, including limits on piercings and the possibility of being “drafted” to work days off, went viral.
2023 – Marlo Stanfield, Whose Life Inspired Parts of ‘The Wire,’ Is No Fictional Character by Aliza Worthington
A Baltimore premiere of the docuseries “Marlo” revisited the life of real-life West Baltimore drug kingpin Marlo Stanfield, the inspiration for the iconic The Wire character, through reenactments, interviews, and a live panel discussion with Stanfield himself.
2024 – Johns Hopkins Medicine Chief Diversity Officer Steps Down Two Months After Backlash Over ‘Privilege’ Email by Marcus Dieterle
Johns Hopkins Medicine diversity chief Dr. Sherita Golden stepped down after a newsletter explaining “privilege,” and listing groups she said benefited from it, sparked a national social media firestorm amplified by conservative figures including Donald Trump Jr. and Elon Musk.
2025 – Chesapeake Baysox Oyster Catchers Alternate Logo Leads to Powerful Climax by Aliza Worthington
Our story on the unintentionally provocative, hilariously unfortunate logo redesign by the Chesapeake Baysox Oyster Catchers became an internet sensation, earning a segment on CNN’s Have I Got News For You. The team leaned into the buzz, partnering to raise money for cervical cancer research.
We also shared some fun facts from the last 15 years.
Baltimore Fishbowl Fun Facts
🐟Baltimore Fishbowl has published nearly 38,000 posts.
🐟 Baltimore Fishbowl has published 128 stories about John Waters.
🐟 Since 2019, when we joined the Maryland, Delaware, DC Press Association, Baltimore Fishbowl has won 127 MDDC Awards.
🐟Our story, Baltimore High School Valedictorians Take it to the Top, featuring 2016 Gilman valedictorian Luigi Mangione, is our most viral content to date, receiving over 264,000 views.
🐟 Our story, Baltimore Feminists Prank Victoria’s Secret and Spark an Internet Revolution, received the most reader feedback with 289 comments.
🐟 Baltimore Fishbowl has published the work of over 500 writers.
🐟 Since 2018, Baltimore Fishbowl has received more than 10,000 donations from readers. Thank you!
🐟 Our data-driven investigation, Structural Racism and Cannabis: Black Baltimoreans Disproportionately Arrested for Weed After Decriminalization, sparked a national discussion after being selected by Twitter as a weekend long-read. The story led to a Baltimore Sun editorial calling for policy change, was cited in the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office marijuana policy white paper, and was followed by an announcement that the office would stop prosecuting marijuana possession cases.
🐟 Fifteen years later, Baltimore still gives us something interesting to write about every day.
The Biggest Fun Fact
🐟 Baltimore Fishbowl wouldn’t exist without you. Thank you for reading, supporting, advertising, sharing, commenting, correcting, encouraging, and occasionally keeping us on our toes.
Here’s to the next chapter.
