Pitches wanted (culture, media, politics) | $1.75+ per word
Added 2025-09-06 04:11:55 +0000 UTCCOMPANY/PUBLICATION: MOTHER JONES
Sophia Murguia, Deputy Managing Editor at Mother Jones, is looking for pitches:
I’m looking for pitches for Mother Jones’ print culture section, Mixed Media. These are approximately 2,000-word essays that combine reporting, cultural criticism, historical research, and/or personal narrative. More details in our pitch guidelines here: https://www.motherjones.com/contribute/writer-guidelines/
We don’t typically publish standalone reviews or Q and As; instead, these are reported essays that make a clear argument using multiple sources. We’re especially interested in pieces that have a strong time peg that will be relevant for our first few issues of 2026.
A couple recent examples:
I loved this piece by Inaê Oh about the brutal aesthetics of the “Mar-a-Lago face”: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/03/maralago-face-conservative-girl-makeup-brutal-aesthetics-of-maga-trump-gaetz-guilfoyle/
And this one by Chelsea Conaboy about the wellness influencer reviving the refrigerator mother theory for kids with ADHD: https://www.motherjones.com/media/2025/02/refrigerator-mother-theory-adhd-chelsea-conaboy/
From a little further back, this was a great piece by Emmeline Clein, edited by Jacob Rosenberg, about who the celebrity memoir boom really serves: https://www.motherjones.com/media/2023/11/britney-spears-paris-hilton-pamela-anderson-media-mistreatment-memoir-woman-aughts-culture-celebrity-bimbo-summit/
Rates start at $1.75/word of assigned word count for print (and 75 cents/word for online-only stories). Pitch me at smurguia@motherjones.com.
--------------------
CONTACT INFORMATION (please do not share the email address publicly):
Questions/submissions: smurguia@motherjones.com
Website: https://www.motherjones.com/
TO HELP YOU CRAFT YOUR PITCH:
Learn more about the publication: Mother Jones is a nonprofit progressive publication that publishes essays, investigative reporting, and commentary on topics such as politics, the environment, human rights, and culture. It covers a wide range of issues through in-depth journalism and expert analysis by specialists, writers, and reporters. The publication provides accountability‑driven storytelling that challenges power structures and illuminates systemic issues. More information here.
Read through its selection of recent articles/stories, categorized into: Politics, Environment, Crime and Justice, Food, Media, Investigations
Review the submission guidelines here.
Check out our collection of pitch excerpts on this page and find more sample pitches at The Open Notebook Database and at SuccessfulPitches.com.
Do not forget to end your pitch with (1) a short introduction about yourself; (2) a paragraph highlighting your writing experience, relevant credentials and publication credits; and (3) links to your strongest work or portfolio, and online profile.
--------------------
LOOKING FOR MORE OPPORTUNITIES? Find additional jobs on Extra. Check out the upcoming deadlines on our PLUS+ Calendar. Filter the listings by category (worldwide opportunities, high-paying leads, paying publications, and non-pitching jobs). Use the search form on the homepage to find opportunities relevant to your interests.
WANT OUR DIGEST delivered to your inbox? Go to your email settings and make sure the notifications for Write Jobs PLUS+ are turned on. Want more tips? Read the welcome notes here.
