Pitches wanted (food, environment) | ~$1 to $2 per word

COMPANY/PUBLICATION: FOOD & ENVIRONMENT REPORTING NETWORK

Interested in working with us? Reporters may pitch us on a rolling basis by emailing a story idea (no finished stories, please) and clips or links to our Managing Editor, Brent Cunningham, at brent@thefern.org.

We are eager to support stories that are in-depth, investigative and explanatory. We expect they will have a broad impact when they appear.

We support reporting that digs into subjects that have not been thoroughly covered in our area of focus, or which significantly furthers the reporting on a subject to date. We are also interested in explanatory pieces that make complicated topics accessible to a general audience. We expect reporters to travel to the locations where stories are based and do in-depth reporting.

Our story budgets depend on the complexity of the project. We may pay for a reporter to pursue research on a compelling story idea to see if it might justify a full project. Once we agree in principle to a story, we ask that the reporter assemble a detailed budget to determine what the project will cost.

CONFIDENTIAL NOTE: Reports indicate that Food & Environment Reporting Network pays $1 to $2 per word. It is recommended that you discuss the rate(s) with the editor upon the acceptance of your pitch.

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

• Questions/submissions: brent@thefern.org
• Website: https://thefern.org

TO HELP YOU CRAFT YOUR PITCH:

• Learn more about the publication: The Food & Environment Reporting Network is an independent, nonprofit news organization that produces investigative and explanatory reporting on food, agriculture, and environmental health through exclusive partnerships with regional and national media outlets. Through its impartial “watchdog” journalism, FERN seeks to shine a light on injustices and abuses of power within the food system — both corporate and governmental — while taking full measure of the true impact food and agriculture have on people, public health, animals, and the environment. FERN uncovers, explores, and explains news that is critical to the public’s right to know about food, agriculture, and environmental health in order to inform, inspire, and catalyze change. More information here.
• Read through its selection of recent articles/stories, categorized into: International Reporting, Biodiversity Crisis, Climate Change, Farms and Labor, Livestock and Rural Communities, Nutrition and Food Access, Oceans and Freshwater, Toxins and Pollution
• 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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