Fall back? Never. We're only moving forward. From transgender legal documentation in Quebec, to fighting for the preservation of Indigenous land in Saskatchewan, to bee-killing pesticides country-wide: Our contributors have been bringing and breaking grassroots news all summer long. To continue our coverage of un- and under-reported stories, we want your pitches.
You can submit your pitch online here. We accept several articles every month; two of those contributors will be selected for pay of $100 each for news features. Accepted articles will be published on the Media Co-op's website, and most will also be featured in The Dominion, our bi-monthly print magazine.
We prioritize solutions-oriented news pieces with a Canadian angle, including photo essays and video pitches. We accept stories of national interest, including those about Canada’s role in international affairs. If it's an international story, tell us what the 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. Priority will be given to articles of a time-sensitive nature, bearing in mind that the piece will go through several weeks of editing before publication.
While we are only able to pay for two contributions per month, we do accept unpaid contributions as well. Pitches are welcome from anyone, with priority for payment going to those who have previously contributed.
Please read over past content to get an idea of what we publish. It’s also a good idea to make sure you’re not covering a topic we’ve recently covered, unless there is a new angle or update. Consider what other media has covered the topic you are pitching and from what perspective. Be sure your pitch is news-focused, rather than opinion or academic. We like both of those forms, but they’re not what we publish. Think about your sources and interviewees—this is something we consider seriously when reviewing pitches.
We have a fairly extensive editorial process, with two editors assigned to each piece, plus a fact-checking and copy editing process. Please only pitch to us if you are open and available to work with us through this process.
We priotize pitches that incorporate reader suggestions, which can be found here: http://www.mediacoop.ca/group/discuss/15363
Deadline for pitches: Sept. 1 at Midnight
Response to pitches by: Sept. 5
First drafts due: Sept. 15
Final copy due: Sept. 30
How to pitch:
1. Set up a Media Co-op account (if you don’t already have one): http://mediacoop.ca/user
2. Check out our writer’s guide 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/pitch
5. Info about making a video pitch: http://dominionpaper.ca/video/create. To pitch a video news clip,
contact us at info@mediacoop.ca
The deal:
Pitches should be less than 200 words and include your planned sources and research. An entire story submitted as a pitch will not be considered for payment. The Media Co-op currently pays a flat rate of $100 for accepted stories. Articles are either 720 or 1500 words. See the video guidelines for length of videos.
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. We accept pitches at any time, so if these deadlines don’t work for you, please consider contributing at a later date.
We look forward to your story proposals!
The Media Co-op Editorial Collective