Pitches wanted (Great Lakes, environment, health) | 50 cents per word

COMPANY/PUBLICATION: GREAT LAKES NOW

Lisa John Rogers, News Editor at Great Lakes Now, is looking for pitches:

I’m Lisa John Rogers, News Editor for Great Lakes Now. The monthly documentary-style show and online imprint is produced by Detroit PBS and syndicated binationally around the Great Lakes basin. We are always looking for pitches.

As an environmental health journalist, I primarily cover “forever chemicals” for Great Lakes Now. Due to the region’s high concentration of industrial activity and development, we are at the forefront of this health crisis: https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/02/latest-minnesota-pfas-bill-allegedly-shifts-power-sparks-controversy/

Biweekly, I synthesize the region’s PFAS news in the PFAS News Roundups, helping policymakers, advocates, and concerned residents compare developments in research, discovery, legal battles, and legislation across state lines and both sides of the border: https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/03/cancer-causing-pfas-to-be-added-to-canadas-toxic-substance-list/

When not working on the PFAS News Roundups, I’m reporting on issues that require a more in-depth approach. Like in this piece about the rampant microplastics problem in the Great Lakes: https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/05/everything-to-know-about-microplastics-in-the-great-lakes/

Or, the series I did last year on the Urban Heat Island effect impacting cities around the lakes.

Here is part I, highlighting the health implications: https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/06/heat-islands-in-the-great-lakes-the-human-health-cost/

Part II, about solutions and the importance of water: https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/06/heat-islands-in-the-great-lakes-community-infrastructure-and-fresh-water-solutions/

As an editor, I enjoy collaborating with freelancers on a wide range of topics. Like this piece by Andrew Reeves about Canadian conservation groups purchasing land from farmers to increase biodiversity: https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/07/making-up-for-lost-trees/

Or, this piece by Mia Litzenberg for our collaborative project with the Great Lakes News Collaborative, about the psychological impact that climate change is having on residents around the lakes. As many of us find our cultural unity rooted in water: https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/08/a-new-paradigm-how-climate-change-is-shaping-mental-landscapes-in-the-great-lakes/

I have also freelanced as an arts writer for publications like Hyperallergic, Artforum, and Runner magazine. Mainly discussing art and its relationship to an environment or place: https://www.artforum.com/events/maya-stovall-238367/

I’m always looking to collaborate or talk with journalists, photographers, artists, scientists, and environmental or health advocates. Please check out our important work at Detroit PBS and don’t forget to pitch Great Lakes Now: lrogers@detroitpbs.org. We pay $0.5 per word.

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CONTACT INFORMATION (please do not share the email address publicly):

• Questions/submissions: lrogers@detroitpbs.org

• Website: https://www.greatlakesnow.org/

TO HELP YOU CRAFT YOUR PITCH:

• Learn more about the publication: Great Lakes Now is a journalism project that publishes articles and commentary on issues affecting the Great Lakes and surrounding communities. It covers topics such as environmental policy, water quality, regional culture, politics, and development. The publication helps inform the public by reporting on the challenges and changes shaping the Great Lakes region. More information here.

• Read through its selection of recent articles/stories, categorized into: Industry, Energy, Economic Development, History and Culture, Science, Technology, Research, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Recreation and Tourism, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts, Climate Change

• Review the submission guidelines here. Note that these are the publication's general guidelines to help you refine your pitch. You must still follow the editor's specific instructions above.

• Check out our collection of pitch excerpts on this page and find more sample pitches at The Open Notebook and at SuccessfulPitches.com.

• Do not forget to end your pitch with (1) a short introduction about yourself; (2) a few lines highlighting your writing experience, relevant credentials and publication credits; and (3) links to your strongest work or portfolio, and online profile.

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