Some people are already rolling up their sleeves and shoveling soil in their gardens, and others are still shoveling snow—either way, we're ready for folks to dig deeper into important under-reported stories this spring. The deadline for the next round of investigative pitches is April 2.
The Media Co-op has published exposés of unchecked racism in the Canadian military, the public relations underside of Canada's mining sector and the impacts of Agent White on rural farmers in Manitoba. The next big breaking story could be yours.
We know there are still many untold stories that only grassroots, co-operative media outlets like The Media Co-op and The Dominion will tackle. To help our contributors dig deeper and be better compensated for their efforts, we launched the Media Co-op Investigative Fund.
The latest round of pitching story ideas is now open. We’re offering $400 for an investigative feature to be published in the July/August issue of The Dominion. Please make sure your idea will still be timely by our publication date. The investigative fund is separate from our regular calls for news and analysis pieces, which we send out monthly. We want thoroughly-researched stories with numerous interviews for these. Please look at our past investigative features for reference.
Story ideas have been pouring in from readers. We prioritize these suggestions when considering pitches, so we encourage you to take a look at them.
The article you propose should be 2,200 words and present fresh angles, original research on undetected issues and/or bold solutions to common problems. If it's an international story, tell us what the strong Canadian angle will be. If the story focuses on a particular city or region of Canada, tell us why it's of interest to a national audience and how it will be placed into a national context.
Pitches are welcome from anyone; priority for payment goes to those who have previously contributed. You'll work with Dominion editors over the course of a month or more to produce the article.
Want to get your sleuth on but don't know how to pitch a story? It's elementary, my dear contributor:
1. Set up a Media Co-op account (if you don’t already have one):
http://mediacoop.ca/user
2. Check out this page for hot topics and details about writing for The Dominion: http://dominionpaper.ca/write For a more in-depth look, check out our Writer’s Guide here: http://mediacoop.ca/writersguide
3. Peruse the Media Co-op discussion page for story ideas:
http://www.mediacoop.ca/group/discuss/15363
4. Pitch! http://mediacoop.ca/investigativepitch
The deal:
Pitches should be less than 400 words and include a thorough description of planned sources (interviews or documents) and research. An entire story submitted as a pitch will not be considered for payment. Editors reserve the right to suggest changes and edit stories (with your participation, of course!). Pitches should capture the content, tone and style of the story you plan to submit; if the content submitted differs significantly from the pitch, editors reserve the right to withhold payment.
Deadline for pitches: Tuesday, April 2, Midnight.
First drafts due April 30
Final pieces due May 25
Want to receive our call for pitches in your inbox? Email us with CONTRIBUTOR in the subject line and we'll add you to our mailing list.
Looking forward to your radical investigations!
The Editorial Collective