Once Upon a Hill is an online publication delivering in-depth intelligence on the comings and goings of Congress—in plain English.
OUAH’s flagship weekday evening newsletter serves as a voter’s guide to the congressional storylines, power moves and policy developments defining how diverse communities engage with the political process. Think of the newsletter as an after-work conversation over a drink to catch you up on everything you missed while you were working.
Influential community leaders and political novices alike trust newsletter author Michael Jones to deliver an original mix of reporting, analysis and personality that empowers them to translate the happenings under the Capitol dome into real change that reflects the world they want to see.
Beyond OUAH’s core audience, subscribers include members of Congress and their aides, former Obama and current Biden administration officials, strategists, operatives, and advocates who want to make sense of the issues that matter — especially to women, communities of color, LGBTQ+ people and any other groups historically overlooked and underserved by existing systems and institutions.
Inside each edition
The daily newsletter has recurring departments:
First Things First: Michael’s take on the day’s noteworthy developments—informed by knowledgeable sources and situated within the proper context.
In the Know: A newsy roundup of legislative updates to help you keep tabs on the First Branch.
Happenings: A next-day look-ahead at the action in Congress, at the White House and beyond.
Read All About It: A hand-picked list of reading recommendations at the intersection of politics, culture and self-actualization.
In addition to the daily newsletter, OUAH publishes special editions when breaking news demands immediate coverage.
Meet the man behind OUAH
I’m Michael Jones, a national politics correspondent, the founding editor of Once Upon a Hill and the only solo independent Black reporter accredited by a congressional press gallery—a distinction that brings a unique perspective to an institution traditionally led and covered by mostly white men and that deepens public trust at a time when faith in media is at an all-time low. My coverage focuses on Democratic politics in the MAGA era and how race, gender and class shape domestic policy.
Most recently, I founded and authored Supercreator News, the premier politics newsletter for the creative class that counted members of Congress and their staff, current and former Biden and Obama administration officials, and leaders at top advocacy groups among its readership. In this role, I covered the biggest stories emerging from Capitol Hill, including:
During the 118th Congress, I’ve documented the rise and unprecedented fall of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the first-year class of House progressives—including Congress’s first Gen-Z member—and too many crises to count, from a near-default on the US debt and the first expulsion of a member in more than two decades to multiple government funding cliffs and the Democratic panic over Joe Biden’s poor performance during the first presidential debate.
Before I launched Supercreator, I was a fashion journalist and e-commerce writer for two global magazine brands. I also used to write a cool fashion blog.
My work has been cited in The Washington Post, Politico, Semafor, and #blkcreatives. In addition to OUAH, I write a weekly column on the intersection of Capitol Hill and democracy for COURIER, a civic media company on a mission to create a more informed, engaged and representative America. I’m an active National Association of Black Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors member and a proud alum of the On Deck Writer Fellowship.
Born and raised in Dallas (go Cowboys!), I attended Texas A&M University-Commerce, where he studied journalism and wrote for The East Texan, the campus’s award-winning student newspaper. I now split my time between Washington, DC and New York City and enjoy true-crime documentaries, Beyoncé, and FaceTiming my niece and nephew.
A quick word about newsgathering
I’m a news junkie by nature and by trade who monitors the news of the day since politics touches virtually every aspect of American life. I’m also a beat reporter focused on Congress and national politics and in constant, direct contact with lawmakers, aides, White House officials, advocacy groups, academics and subject matter experts to enlighten my reporting. This communication occurs on and off the record and is fundamental to my ability to break news and keep you up to date.
I intend to quote sources by name as often as possible. But sometimes, sources ask me to keep them anonymous because they cannot publicly speak about the information they’re sharing. When this happens, I publish the best description of their role. If you see an unnamed source in my reporting, it is because I made the editorial decision that the significance of the information they were willing to share was 1) more valuable in the public domain than in my notebook and 2) not worth the risk to their professional employment or personal safety from disclosing their identity against their wishes.
I also receive information via email press lists, reader tips, polling data, academic research and Twitter. I also cover weekly press conferences to ask questions I anticipate you’ll want answered and attend press calls to understand complex policy topics better.
Let’s talk
Email michael@onceuponahill.com or send me a direct message on Twitter. I’m open to story tips, reading recommendations, counterpoints to recently published arguments, views outside Washington, DC or anything else I should know. I’m also grateful when readers help me correct mistakes—something I try to do in the original article as quickly as possible. Need an extra layer of security? DM and I’ll tell you how to get in touch on an encrypted app like Signal. Interested in sponsoring the newsletter? Learn more about sponsorships.
