Pitches wanted (Long COVID) | $400 to $1,300 per article

COMPANY/PUBLICATION: THE SICK TIMES

Betsy Ladyzhets, Founder of The Sick Times, is looking for pitches:

We just updated our pitching guidelines for The Sick Times! Here's what we are looking for in pitches for 2025:

Please send all pitches to editors@thesicktimes.org

• Deep dives into scientifically backed Long COVID treatment options

• Deep dives and unique angles on myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), dysautonomia, MCAS, hEDS, and other related diseases and conditions commonly diagnosed alongside Long COVID

• Long COVID reporting from outside the U.S., Europe, and Australia

• Covering Long COVID as a disability, or intersections between disability justice and Long COVID

• Long COVID in children

• Social impact, or how Long COVID is impacting different communities

• Service journalism (e.g., information that readers can use in their day-to-day lives)

• New demands and strategies for Long COVID advocacy and community organizing

• Responses to and context about ableist/anti-health policies (e.g., mask bans and similar threats)

• Connections to climate change and pandemic preparedness

• Pitches for the Color of Long COVID series; we published the first piece in this series in December and will be publishing more throughout 2025: https://thesicktimes.org/2024/12/10/my-mom-was-disabled-by-me-but-i-didnt-understand-until-i-developed-long-covid-i-wrote-an-apology-letter-to-her/

Notably, there are two types of pitches that we generally reject. First, single-study stories, or news stories that focus on only one new paper. For features, we prefer pitches about research trends; individual papers and trial announcements get shared in our Research Updates section.

Second, broad personal narratives (e.g., “my life with Long COVID”), because there are so many of these across mainstream media! Rather, we look for our commentary articles to offer novel perspectives or arguments to the Long COVID and related disease community.

And when you pitch, please share some examples of your past writing, ideally (though not required) for a general-interest audience. For journalists, it is also helpful to know if you've covered Long COVID or similar science/health/disability topics before.

Our guidelines page also now includes some notes about other ways people can contribute to The Sick Times, such as sending us tips, inviting us to cover your work, or sending us existing articles we can republish or share: https://thesicktimes.org/write-for-us-part-time-opportunities/

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

• Questions/submissions: editors@thesicktimes.org

• Website: https://thesicktimes.org/

TO HELP YOU CRAFT YOUR PITCH:

• Learn more about the publication: The Sick Times is an independent news site founded by journalists Betsy Ladyzhets and Miles Griffis, dedicated to chronicling the Long COVID crisis. It reports on the life-changing disease following SARS-CoV-2 infection, affecting over 400 million people worldwide, and covers related infection-associated chronic conditions. The platform aims to investigate injustices, challenge powerful institutions, and offer a platform for those most affected by the crisis. More information here.

• Read through its selection of recent articles/stories, categorized into: Science, Covid-19, Health, Policy and Advocacy

• Review the submission guidelines here.

• 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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