Category Archives: Print

call for NYC-related pitches from Gothamist

Gothamist is looking for pitches about life in NYC. Thanks to Will Coley for the heads up!

http://gothamist.com/2014/04/23/freelance_writing.php

Gothamist is expanding and deepening our coverage of New York City, and we're paying.

We want original, compelling, heartbreaking, funny, enraging, enlightening work, written clearly and with an eye towards stories that cut through the dull hum of the internet—stories that help the reader better understand New York City and the people living in it. It should not have been published anywhere else in print or online. Here are some recent examples.

A well-sourced, 1,500-word indictment of governmental incompetence is just as welcome as a 500-word profile of the rat-slaying building super who listens to Van Halen while on the hunt. We want the gems buried at the bottom of Kafka-esque municipal board meetings and the life-affirming acts of kindness often obscured by the relentless crush of humanity; the joys of working for a dog-walking marijuana delivery service and the hazards of donning a Santa suit at Saks Fifth Avenue.

You should be as excited writing or pitching your story as we are reading it. The only thing we don't want (at the moment) is fiction. Pay depends on experience, quality, and length. Please go here to share a submission or pitch. (Due to the high volume of pitches we receive, we regret that we are unable to reply to every submission.)

Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight seeks freelancer writers

Nate Silver's FiveThirtyEight is looking for freelance writers. Details HERE and pasted below.

FiveThirtyEight Seeks Data-Driven Freelance Writers

We've hired our initial team of staff writers and editors, and we’re well on our way to building our team of visual, computational and database journalists. We can't wait to show you their work. But we’re also looking for a few good men and women to contribute writing and analysis to FiveThirtyEight on a freelance basis.  

Let me be a bit more specific about what we’re looking for.

First, and most important, we’re looking for freelance features and articles that involve original research, analysis, or reporting — specifically those that involve statistical analysis, data mining, programming, data visualization, or other data-journalism methods. FiveThirtyEight is not the right outlet for “smart takes,” opinion pieces, or long-form essays that don’t involve some data component. We would potentially have interest in features that involve shoe-leather reporting (i.e., interviewing, first-person observation) if they are numerate as well as literate, and help our readers put data and statistics into context.

Second, we’re looking for freelancers to cover relatively specific subjects — e.g. hockey, weather, the economics of food — as opposed to generalists. A list of subjects that we know we’d be interested in is included below.

Third, as the site has not yet launched, we’re thinking ahead and looking to develop relationships with writers to produce recurring series of articles for FiveThirtyEight. As a general guide, this might mean writing anywhere from once every other month for FiveThirtyEight to once every week or two. The articles might typically be somewhere between 750 and 2,000 words in length.

Fourth, we’re looking for authors who have a track record of publishing work under their byline. This could mean at The New Yorker, in an academic journal, or at an obscure blog. But we’ll want to be able to evaluate published examples of your work and consider how it might fit into our plans.

We recognize that these requirements are strict. But as disciplined as we are in our approach toward journalism, we’re hoping to apply it to a wide range of subjects in the news and in everyday life.

The following list of potential freelance topics is not exclusive: if you want to pitch us on an epic, eight-part series on the statistics of dog breeding, we’re happy to listen. But the subjects listed below are those we’re most likely to be interested in — especially those listed with an asterisk (*).

One major focus for freelance content is our science vertical. Potential subtopics within science include but are not limited to the following:

  • Weather* 
  • Health and medicine* 
  • Technology* 
  • Energy, climate and environment* 
  • Biology and neuroscience 
  • Psychology 
  • Hazards and disasters (e.g. earthquakes, asteroids) 
  • Geography
  • Philosophy of statistics and mathematics

Our lifestyle vertical is broad. We’d be interested in people who provide data-driven analysis of these topics, along with others:

  • Education* 
  • Travel and transportation* 
  • Food and drink* 
  • Sex, dating and romance* 
  • TV and movies* 
  • Parenting 
  • Music 
  • Crime statistics and criminal justice 
  • Games (video games or otherwise) 
  • Gambling 

Within our sports vertical, we have several writers on staff who provide coverage across multiple sports. But there are a couple of ways that we might expand upon their coverage, such as with writers who:

  • Focus on one sport in particular, e.g. 
  • Baseball 
  • Football 
  • Basketball 
  • Soccer
  • Ice hockey 
  • Tennis
  • Golf 
  • Examine the intersection between sports and other FiveThirtyEight verticals, e.g. 
    • Sports science
    • Sports economics and finance

    In politics, we have strong coverage of U.S. elections on staff, but we’d consider pitches in the following areas:

    • Congressional voting and behavior* 
    • Fundraising and lobbying 
    • Political rhetoric and media framing 
    • Demographics 
    • International elections 
    • National security and military strategy
    • The Supreme Court and legal affairs

    In economics, we have strong coverage of micro- and macroeconomic data on staff, but we'd be interested in someone with a strong understanding of:

    • Personal finance
    • Trading markets, or,
    • Overseas economies, particularly in the developing world

    These are paying assignments. We have a schedule of freelance rates that can vary depending upon the writer’s experience, the time commitment involved in preparing the features, and other factors.

    If you’ve been patient enough to read to the end of this post and have an idea that you think might be a great fit for FiveThirtyEight, we’d love to hear from you. Send us a note at 538FREELANCE AT GMAIL DOT COM. Give us a specific sense of what you’d like to write about, illustrated by sample headlines or short summaries. Tell us how you can do this in a differentiating and data-rich way. Include links to articles that you’ve published elsewhere. And let us know how to reach you. We look forward to hearing from you.

    Personal Essay Class at the Grotto, 3 evenings in sept/oct

    Super-talented FC member and writer extraordinaire Chris Colin will be teaching a personal essay class at the Grotto this fall. You don’t want to miss this opportunity. Details below.
    -mia

    +++++++++++++++++++

    Fall Writing Classes at the Grotto Now Enrolling

    The Personal Essay, for Publication

    Instructor: Chris Colin
    Contact: chris@chriscolin.com
    Number of sessions: 3
    Meeting times: Tuesday evenings, 6:30-9:30; Sept. 21, Sept. 28, Oct. 5
    Course fee: $175

    I like sandwiches. My fridge is sticky. Dad wore a beard. Our lives are full of banal but vital little bits, and god knows we should get more of them on paper. But spinning those bits into a publishable personal essay — the kind enjoyed by people other than our mothers — requires a specific and sometimes counterintuitive approach. This three-week workshop will help anyone from absolute beginners to practiced writers onto this path.

    We will dissect the many approaches to a successful personal essay, from the straightforward to the unconventional. There will be reading, there will be writing. Did you spend six months on a desert island, sending smoke signals and gnawing porcupine? Cool, we’ll get you writing about it. But incredible personal histories are absolutely unrequired for this course, and for this genre. Some of the most memorable and affecting essays come from the most ordinary experiences, the most perceptive and polished from people who’d never picked up a pen before.

    No need to arrive with a draft already written, but be prepared to write — and eventually workshop — over the duration of the class. Note: Class limited to 12 students.

    Instructor bio: Chris Colin is the award-winning author of What Really Happened to the Class of ’93, and a former Salon.com editor. His essays have been published in the New York Times Magazine and other sections of the paper, as well as several anthologies. He’s also written for Mother Jones, Smithsonian, Men’s Journal, Conde Nast Portfolio, McSweeney’s, the New York Observer, San Francisco magazine, Women’s Health magazine, 7×7 and other publications, and was the longtime “On the Job” columnist for SFGate. http://www.chriscolin.com

    The Media Consortium — Seeking Immigration Blogger — application deadline July 15

    The pay for this gig isn’t great, but might be a good part-time opportunity for someone. Apply fast – they’re looking to fill the position by July 26!
    -mia

    ++++++++++++++++++++++

    TMC is searching for a blogger that can quickly take the reins on the Weekly Diaspora. The ideal candidate has experience writing about immigration issues with clarity and verve. They are also excellent at meeting firm weekly deadlines and have a love of independent media.

    I’ve included a job description for the position below. Please pass this information on to individuals that might be a good fit. Since our turnaround time is tight, cover letters, resumés and references for this part-time position must be emailed to erin@themediaconsortium.com by COB on Friday, July 15.

    *Women and people of color are especially encouraged to apply. The ideal starting date for this position is July 26.

    Thanks, Erin

    *Job Description*

    *Where:* Telecommute

    *Status:* Freelance blogger/buzz-builder for “Weekly” news summary blogs, Contract is 3 months with option to renew.

    *Who:* The Media Consortium

    *Compensation:* Weekly stipend of $150 for approx. 10 hours/week ($15/hour)

    The Media Consortium, a network of leading progressive independent journalism organizations, announces a freelance blogging and promotions position for a web and independent media savvy journalist with strong background in immigration and immigration reform.

    This work is a key component of The Media Consortium’s MediaWire project–an aggregation and distribution initiative intended to spotlight, build traffic and generate buzz for Media Consortium members’reporting on the nation’s most critical issues including health care, immigration and the economy. For background on the project, visit www.themediaconsortium.org.

    Media Consortium bloggers write weekly syndicated “best of” roundups highlighting exemplary content from our members. Blog posts will be based on content aggregated from the economy, environment, health care, immigration feeds aggregated on Delicious. Opportunities for longer, feature-length articles may arise later on. Articles and blog posts written by Media Consortium bloggers are featured in leading blogs and progressive journalism outlets across the country.

    *Job requirements include:*

    * Writing one weekly blog of 800-1000 words that rounds up and key stories from Media Consortium members for syndication across the net.

    * Using social networking tools such as Facebook and Twitter to draw attention to weekly posts/blog.

    * Helping identify online communities and sites to promote and place blog posts.

    * Joining scheduled calls with Media Consortium staff to plan outreach and coverage.

    *Qualifications:

    * At least 2 years experience as an issue-based or political blogger or reporter

    * Familiarity with progressive media organizations and the political/issue-based blogging community.

    * Comfortable with the concept of adding multimedia elements to reporting.

    * Self-starter and team player with a sense of humor.

    *Note that this is a contract position. Send a cover letter, resume, and links to your work to: erin@themediaconsortium.com. No phone calls please. Women and people of color are strongly encouraged to apply.*

    Erin Polgreen

    Senior Program Associate
    The Media Consortium
    erin@themediaconsortium.com
    Twitter: @tmcmedia / @erinpolgreen
    Skype: ErinPolgreen
    Cell: 312.841.055

    internship with great food editor/writer

    Hey all. So this is unpaid (I know, I know) but word is that it's worth it to have an opportunity to work with this guy. -Mia

    ++++++++++++++++++

    This is a link to an unpaid internship with a great food writer and editor, Scott Hocker (formerly of San Francisco Magazine, now of Tasting Table).  Someone who loves food who's just getting into the biz would really learn a ton from working with him. 

    High Country News Seeking Multimedia Freelancers in the West

    Potentially fantastic opportunity here for you multimedia folks. This post originally went out to the AIR list (Association of Independents in Radio), so if you are not on AIR, please let Cally know that you heard about this through an AIR member. Good luck! -mia

    +++++++++++++++++++++

    I’m currently heading up the multimedia department at High Country News. (Ok, I AM the multimedia department.) Our MM work has been kind of checkered in the past, but we’re making a push to ramp it up. High Country News is a magazine based in teeny tiny Paonia, Colorado, covering the environment, natural resources and changing communities in the American West. If any of you are based out West, have experience shooting and producing video, or shooting strong images, collecting sound, and producing audio slideshows, I’d love to hear from you. We’re looking for good multimedia pitches, and I’m also compiling a list of freelancers around the West for future assignments.

    If you have interest, email me off list at: callyc@hcn.org

    Thanks!

    Cally

    FreelanceFolder is Looking For Writers

    Hey folks. I’ve been reading this blog for awhile and it definitely speaks to me. Perhaps there’s some work in it for some of you writers? -Mia ______________________________

    FreelanceFolder is Looking For Writers! via FreelanceFolder http://freelancefolder.com by Mason Hipp on 10/29/09

    Are you an avid FreelanceFolder reader or someone who has always wanted to write for an audience of freelancers? Are you a top professional in your field with unique skills and the ability to write? Have you been freelancing for so long that you just have plenty of wisdom to share?

    If any of that describes you, or if you just want to write for FreelanceFolder — then now is your chance. We are looking to expand our core FreelanceFolder team, and we are ready to hire two new paid writers on a long-term basis. Here’s what’s in it for you:

    – Payment for every article written. – Exposure to an audience of over 20k subscribers. – Author by-line and photo on everything you write. – Become a part of our team and help a lot of freelancers.

    If you’re interested in applying to write for us, you can find all of the requirements and instructions after the read more link. Job Requirements

    So you’ve decided that you want to write for FreelanceFolder — that’s awesome.

    Before you send us an application, though, make sure to check out the requirements below to see if you’re a good fit for the job. Here’s what we’re looking for in our new writers:

    – *Excellent Spelling & Grammar.* We do edit all of the posts that get published, but you need to have really great spelling and grammar so that it’s not too difficult for our editors. – *Long-Term Commitment.* Some of our writers have been with us for over a year — and that’s how we like it. This could be a very stable income for you if the fit is right, so make sure you can write at least 4 articles per month and are committed to helping out over the long-term. – *Practical & Valuable Writing.* We want to provide the best possible content for freelancers, so we’re looking for authors who are comfortable writing practical, hands-on, concrete stuff. We’re looking for tutorials, how-tos, and other *really useful* articles. – *Basic HTML and Image Editing Skill.* Most of the posts you’ll be writing will require some basic HTML (like headlines, lists, etc…) and basic image editing skills. It will be really helpful if you have these already, though we can teach them pretty easily. – *Unique Ideas and Information.* A big part of having great content is coming up with great ideas for articles or content that aren’t written about everywhere. We’re looking for authors who can think ahead of the crowd and write articles that are new, unique, and exclusive to FreelanceFolder.

    How To Apply

    If you’re interested in applying, just send us a message using this contact form http://freelancefolder.com/contact/. In the subject line, put “Writer Application” and then in the body of your message include the following information:

    1. Why do you want to write for FreelanceFolder? 2. Where can we see examples of your previous work? 3. Do you meet all of our above requirements? Why or why not? 4. How much do you charge for an 800-1200 word article with lots of usable information and detail? 5. Can you write How-Tos and Tutorials? 6. Do you have a specific topic or specialty you’d like to write about? 7. Any questions for us?

    Apply to be a FreelanceFolder writer → http://freelancefolder.com/contact/

    We’re all looking forward to expanding our team, and I’m really excited to start working with some of you. Please feel free to contact us with any questions, and we will definitely be in touch shortly!

    a question for print freelancers

    Hey folks. This is from a colleague of mine in Philly. If any of you print folks have a minute to drop her a line, I would really appreciate it! Thx, Mia

    ++++++++++++++++++

    Hello print freelancers!

    I have a favor to ask–I am a student in a master’s program at the J School at Temple University and am currently taking my Comm Law requirement. For one of my assignments I am reviewing and analyzing a freelance copyright case from 2001 (New York Times v. Tasini). I am looking to talk to someone who has an opinion about the impact of the Court’s decision–whether good or bad–and has been affected by the decision.

    In short, believe it or not, Wikipedia sums the decision up pretty well: ” New York Times Co. v. Tasini , is a leading decision by the United States Supreme Court on the issue of copyright in the contents of a newspaper database. It held that The New York Times , in licensing back issues of the newspaper for inclusion in electronic databases such as LexisNexis, could not license the works of free-lance journalists contained in the newspapers.”

    I’d be happy to talk to someone by e-mail or phone. My assignment is due next week, so if you’re interested, please contact me by next Tuesday, October 27, at the latest.

    Thank you!

    Tori Indivero
    tori.indivero@gmail.com
    610.316.0745