Pitches wanted (pandemic) (worldwide) | around 50 cents per word

 [This opportunity was posted 30 days ago and has expired.] 

Urbanist  freelance journos! I am actively commissioning new work.  Please pitch me.. Our  rates vary depending on the assignment, but I try to get as close to 50  cents a word as I possibly can. Sometimes it's slightly below that,  sometimes slightly above. I just commissioned a piece in the 800 to 1000  word range for $450 USD, if that's helpful. I'm also going to paste  some pitch guidelines below:

GUIDELINES:

It  will be helpful for you to know that we are in the midst of a  transition toward becoming a more globally focused publication (thus,  why they've hired me, an American editor based in New York). I think  we're still likely to over-cover the UK a bit, but we're aiming to cover  more of the world now, and also to publish pieces that are written with  a global audience in mind. This transition will happen somewhat  gradually at first, but later this year we will relaunch the site and  become something quite a bit different.

OTHER KEY DETAILS OF THIS TRANSITION INCLUDE:

• We are finally able to pay contributors a decent rate (rates vary  depending on the assignment, but are now competitive with other US and  UK digital publications.)
• We'll be fairly focused on original reporting, though there will still be space for opinion and thought-pieces
• We'll also be placing a bigger emphasis on data journalism, though  in general that's likelier to fall more to our staff as opposed to  freelancers

Overall, we are still mostly focused on covering the pandemic  from an urban lens. We certainly hope to be able to commission  non-pandemic-related stories again in the near future, but right now,  they are more difficult to find a spot for. Formats/types of stories  that we’re especially interested in right now include:

• Reported, mid-length articles about any particularly fascinating,  promising, or novel ideas that a single city or small number of cities  are currently testing out. Bonus points if the idea is relevant to a  large number of other cities. Essentially, key lessons or insights that  readers in many other cities might benefit from knowing more about.
• Big-picture reported stories that capture how some overlooked or  crucial element of city life or city operations has changed or been  upended by the pandemic. These should look at how the chosen topic is  playing out across multiple cities, preferably internationally.
• Data-driven analysis of all sorts. Right now, for instance, we’re  working on a story that looks more closely at how the pandemic has  affected crime statistics in cities that have historically experienced  higher rates of violent crime.
• For opinion pieces, we’re especially interested in arguments or  proposals from practitioners, for example from professional planners,  consultants, policy advocates, or city government leaders. We’re  interested in hosting global conversations about what cities everywhere  ought to be focused on right now.
• Anything that truly surprises us! If you have a story idea that  doesn’t fit into any of these buckets, don’t be shy about sharing them.  We’ll promise to get back to you as quickly as we can about whether it  could possibly be a fit.

Hope that's all helpful info, and thanks again for your interest. Please feel free to get back in touch with any specific  story pitches. 

CONTACT INFORMATION:

 [This opportunity was posted 30 days ago and has expired.]