Pitches wanted (Balkans/EU) | €100 to €800 per article

COMPANY/PUBLICATION: N-OST

Deadline: 28 January 2024

We are looking for stories about economic issues that lie at the intersection between local impact and global relevance. Call for pitches closes 28th January 2024. We encourage story-driven, cross-border articles that make complex economic issues accessible to a general audience.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

The call for pitches closes 28th January 2024, and chosen stories will be produced Submit your pitch here.

Spheres of Influence Uncovered is a cross-border media project that is seeking to stimulate and broaden public discussion on economic and geopolitical issues in our project countries of Bosnia & Herzegovina, Georgia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. To do this, we are financially and editorially supporting the work of journalists who are interested in writing on related topics.

If you have a story about foreign investment or other forms of impactful economic cooperation - for example, about Russian investment and impacts on the labour market, or EU-China competition to secure critical minerals - let us know! We offer compensation between €100-800 per author, depending on complexity of the story, costs, and work involved. You are welcome to submit a budget estimate, but this is determined on a case by case basis before commissioning - bear in mind that the higher end of the scale is reserved for investigations and payment for shorter pieces and analysis is more modest.

This is a journalistic project, and we encourage story-driven articles that make complex economic issues accessible to a general audience.

We are especially interested in stories that have cross-border potential. You can pitch a story to a colleague from another country, or we can help connect you with a journalist in our network. Stories must have relevance for the project countries cited above - for example, a cross-border story looking at an issue in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan would fit our criteria.

We are also interested in multimedia stories (please feel free to pitch video, for example) and in data-driven stories.

General communication is primarily in English, and English is needed for cross-border stories, but please feel free to pitch any of the languages used in project countries for country-specific stories (Georgian, Serbian, Russian, Uzbek, etc.)

Partners for this project and possible publication platforms are Anhor, Balkan Insight and JAM News. We are also open to publication with your home media, and can help pitch your piece to other outlets.

In fall 2024, Spheres of Influence Uncovered will be hosting an event in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, to which the most active contributors to this project will be invited.

Submit a pitch using this link - Call for pitches closes 28th January 2024.

If you are interested in learning more about the Spheres of Influence Uncovered Project, or would like to discuss story ideas with the aim of finding colleagues to collaborate on projects, we invite you to join our regular "Cross-Border Brainstorm" session. The next session will be held on 10th January - please email mardell@n-ost.org for more details.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

• Submissions: Via the webform
• Website: https://n-ost.org

TO HELP YOU CRAFT YOUR PITCH:

• Learn more about the publication: N-ost is a network of correspondents that aims to strengthen the reporting on Europe's East. It is a not-for-profit organisation that consists of journalists and media actively cooperating in English and other languages across Europe. More information here.
• Read through its selection of recent articles/stories, categorized into: European Public Spheres, Feminism and LGBTIQ+, Foreign Reporting, Disinformation, Investigative Journalism, Climage Journalism, Exile and Decolonisation
• 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.

* * * * * * * * * *

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 on a daily basis? 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.