Opportunities 04/13/2023

Atmos Magazine, Kotaku, STAT, and more.

The Study Hall Opportunities newsletter is a weekly compilation of pitch calls; freelance, part-time, and temporary gigs; events; fellowships, scholarships, awards, and grants; internships; and full-time jobs. It’s written by Marisa Clogher, who is on a mission to cyberbully HBO Max. The newsletter is (usually) released on Thursdays. Once in a while, we take a day off or publish late for mental health breaks and holidays.

►To help make the Opps better for all of our members, we introduced an Opps Feedback Form. Let us know what we can do to improve the newsletter.

►Editors, submit your time-sensitive or evergreen pitch calls to our Pitch Webform.

►Work at a publication that’s hiring or found a job we should see? Send it to our Jobs Webform.

►Need more info on Study Hall or want to check out our resources? Head to our Linktree.

►Have any other freelance gig, grant, internship, fellowship, or other opp you want to be included in the next Opps newsletter? Send them to [email protected] for approval with “Opportunity:” in the subject line. 

►Let us know if you got a job or landed a pitch through the Opps newsletter! Send them to [email protected] with “Opps Success Story:” in the subject line.

►Tell us what resources have helped you in your freelancing so we can share them with other Study Hall members. Send them to [email protected] with “Resource:” in the subject line.

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THE MEDIA CLASSIFIED ADS

>>The Classified Ads are taking a break for March and April. When we return, you’ll be able to place your Ad in our two weekly newsletters: Thursday’s Opportunities and our Digest. We also offer add-on placement for Slack and Listserv posts. Want to promote your job opening / pitch call / new project / ecommerce brand? Click through for rates, testimonials, and to get in touch.<<

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OPPS SUCCESS STORY

-Nora Neus was paid $0.50 per word to write about the best ways to tell the stories of trans and gender-fluid kids without further harming them for Poynter. The piece was originally pitched at 1,500 words and was negotiated up to about 2,000. Poynter was “great to work with and very informed about the queer and trans community, and seems to have a straightforward payment process.” 

-Diana Kelly Levey was paid $200 to write 600 words on choosing to not know the sex of her baby before birth for Insider. The editor was “easy to work with and payment was fairly prompt once the article went live.” 

Did you turn a pitch call into paid work or land a job, fellowship, internship, or some other gig you found in the Study Hall Opps newsletter? Let us know and we’ll give you a shoutout. Send the details to [email protected] with “Opps Success Story” in the subject line.

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RESOURCES

Mastering the art of freelancing requires more than just perusing the Study Hall Opps newsletter every week. To help you get the most bang for your buck, we keep track of many resources designed to help media workers. Have a resource you’d like to see included? Send it to [email protected] with “Resource:” in the subject line. 

-The Fund for Investigative Journalism provides emergency grants of up to $10,000 for stories on threats to democracy in the US. The fund reviews proposals on a rolling basis and ends on December 31st, 2023.

-The Reporting Job Board by Investigative Reporters and Editors is a continually updated website for jobs in reporting, editing, academia, and more. 

-“Knowing the News” is a new study by the American Press Institute about how Gen Z and Millennials get information on essential topics. The study focuses on six topics: national politics and government; social issues; crime and public safety; traffic, transportation, and weather; COVID-19 information; and health or mental health.

 -“Funding News” is a new study by the American Press Institute about how news media can create content that Gen Z and Millennial consumers are willing to pay for or donate to directly. The study outlines the Americans ages 16 to 40 who pay for or donate to news in some fashion and compares those who pay for news to those who pay for independent creators. 

–Accessible Social is a free resource hub that helps make your social media content more accessible to people with temporary or permanent disabilities, including vision and hearing impairments. 

Want more resources? Check out Resources For Journalists Seeking Therapy;Trans Journalists Association’s Style Guide; NBCC Book Coverage Publication List; Who’s Behind This Website Checklist; SpotlightDC Investigative Journalism Fund; United States Journalism Emergency Fund; Transcription Tool Safety Guide; Labor Action Tracker; Rate Sharing Database; NPR Diverse Sources Database; Online Violence Response Hub; Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Journalists Therapy Relief Fund; Black Journalists Therapy Relief Fund; Developing An Investigative Pitch Guide; Britany Robinson’s Big List of Writing Deadlines; Study Hall Transcriber Database; Study Hall Fact Checkers Database; Freelancing Guide/Editorial Contacts spreadsheet; #FreelancerPayGap spreadsheet; Pitch Guide Database; Chelsea’s Guide to Freelancing doc; PACER; Priya Krishna’s resources for food writing; Election SOS Report; and the Extremism Coverage Prep Guide.

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CALLS FOR PITCHES

Please note that we are not endorsing every publication or company listed here. Engaging with a publication or company is entirely up to the reader. Regarding pitch calls, we try to only share opportunities with fair rates based on publicly available information. While we currently define “fair rates” as being above $100 USD for around 700-800 words and above $0.10 per word for longer pieces, we cannot guarantee that every publication pays this rate. If you have more information on a rate or exploitative business practices from a publication posted, email [email protected].

TIME-SENSITIVE PITCH CALLS, SORTED BY HIGHEST TO LOWEST RATES 

-MIT Technology Review is looking for pitches for its upcoming issue on ethics. Send pitches of narrative features, investigations, essential profiles, and sharp essays at the intersection of ethics and technology. The rate is $1 to $2 per word. Send pitches to [email protected] by April 20. Find more info on how to pitch here.

-Narrative Initiative is looking for pitches of stories that “about organizers, cultural producers, activists, and other changemakers whose work is shifting harmful, dominant narratives.” The rate is $1 per word. Submit pitches here by May 15.

–The Content Technologist is looking for pitches of longform, one-off essays about publishing, digital content industries, and technology. Send pitches about audio production and podcasting; video games; digital video production and editing; streaming tv platform development and management; digital asset management; content moderation; and adapting content for global audiences. The rate is $1 per word for essays of 1,000 to 2,000 words. Submit pitches here by April 21. 

–Wine Enthusiast Magazine is looking to assign a quick-turnaround digital story to a member of the LGBTQ+ community with unique angles on the Dylan Mulvaney/Bud Light news. The rate is $0.50 per word and the piece should run around 600-800 words. Send your pitch and a brief overview of your writing background to [email protected] with the subject line “Dylan Mulvaney/Bud Light story.” See the pitch guide for more info. 

–Wine Enthusiast Magazine is looking to assign stories about the AAPI community to run in May. Pieces can range from features to profiles to round-ups of notable businesses of varying lengths. The rate is $0.50 per word. Send your pitch and a brief overview of your writing background to [email protected]. See the pitch guide for more info. 

–Trails Magazine is looking for pitches for its upcoming issue on creativity. Send pitches of features, trip reports, reviews, essays, and more — you can find more details here. Rates start at $0.50 per word. Editors are looking to have “big stuff assigned by the end of April.” Send pitches to [email protected], [email protected], and [email protected]. 

–Good Beer Hunting is looking for pitches from “young journalists interested in reporting on beverage alcohol and culture.” The rate varies based on the type of piece but goes up to $700 for features. Find more info on what to pitch in the style guide. Send pitches to @BryanDRoth on Twitter.

–Kotaku is looking for “pot pitches” ahead of 4/20 next week. Send pitches about trippy game sequences, games with a stoner aesthetic, and nightmare blunt rotations. The rate starts at $300. Send pitches to [email protected]. 

–Contingent Magazine is looking for pitches for its spring/early summer issue themed “Revive Your Darlings.” The rate varies based on the type of piece, but is anywhere from $100 for 200- to 500-word essays to $500 for features. Submit pitches here by this Saturday, April 15. 

–SFGate is looking for pitches that represent the spirit of San Francisco such as “unique essays on local experiences, profiles of unsung characters/scenes, civic curiosities.” The rate starts at $250. Send pitches to [email protected]. 

–Barn Raiser is looking for pitches of opinion and reported pieces on rural America, specifically on libraries and transportation. The rate is $200 for opinion pieces and $500 for reported stories. Send pitches to [email protected]. 

–Yahoo Life is looking for pitches from writers who can cover parenting from a father’s perspective, both essays and reported features. The rate starts at $250. Send pitches, as well as a short intro and three clips, to [email protected]. 

–Los Angeles Public Press is accepting pitches for audio, articles, and social media on “housing, pollution and the environment, public safety and the carceral system, public health, and positive community-oriented stories, as well as local government watchdog stories.” The rate varies based on type of story. Submit pitches here. 

NEW EVERGREEN PITCH CALLS, SORTED BY HIGHEST TO LOWEST RATES. 

–The New Republic is always looking for pitches of reported features covering politics, policy, power, political players/characters, social issues, class, money/business, labor, and more. TNR is especially looking for pitches from “LGBTQIA, BIPOC, and other minority writers.” The rate is $1 per word for reported features of more than 5000 words. Send pitches to [email protected]. 

–Study Hall (that’s us!) is always looking for pitches for our weekly digest. We are looking for stories about media work and journalism, specifically ones that center workers. We’re interested in coverage of media gossip, disability rights in media, developments in LGBTQ+ media, BIPOC perspectives of the media industry, developments in AI, and tech’s role in the changing media industry. The digest includes a timely, 500- to 800-word lede essay followed by an assortment of four to six rubrics. The rate is $750. 

-“The Checkup,” a health blog by Singlecare, is always looking for pitches on mental health, medical health, and prescription drugs. Specifically, it is looking for informational content about prescription drugs, and common illnesses and conditions (both physical and mental). The rate is $100 to $150 per article for 500 to 700 words, and depends on length and complexity of the topic. Send pitches to [email protected]. 

CLICK HERE FOR OUR FULL LIST OF 200+ EVERGREEN PITCH CALLS, SORTED BY HIGHEST TO LOWEST RATES.

FREELANCE, PART-TIME, AND TEMPORARY JOBS 

–The Daily Dot is hiring a Tennessee-based journalist to assist in sending FOIA requests who may potentially write a piece on the records obtained. Tennessee only allows citizens of the state to submit records requests. The rate is $100 per FOIA filed, and rates for pieces based on the information start at $400. Send pitches to [email protected]. 

–dot.LA is hiring a contract editor to work closely with the managing editor to plan and edit content. Candidates should have at least five years experience in digital media and at least five years of editorial experience. The rate is $30 to $50 per hour, depending on experience.  

GRANTS, SCHOLARSHIPS, CONTESTS, AND AWARDS

–Ploughshares is now accepting submissions for its Emerging Writer’s Contest, which is open to writers of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry who have yet to publish or self-publish a book. Candidates should not be affiliated with Emerson College or with Ploughshares. The winners of each genre will receive $2,000, publication, and a 1-year subscription to Ploughshares. The deadline to submit is May 15. 

–Narratively is accepting submissions for its 2023 Profile Prize contest. It is looking for profile pieces that “tell the story of ordinary people or communities doing extraordinary things.” The grand prize winner will receive $3,000, and the two finalists will receive $1,000 each. There is a $20 entry fee and the deadline to submit is April 14. 

–Oregon Humanities is accepting submissions “about home, sanctuary, and refuge of all kinds” for its summer 2023 issue themed “Shelter.” It’s looking for personal essays, journalistic pieces, and book excerpts from Oregon writers. The pay is $500 to $1,000. The deadline to submit is April 24. 

–Grist is now accepting submissions for Imagine 2200, a “climate fiction short story contest.” It is looking for stories that are 3,000 to 5,000 words that “envision the next 180 years of climate progress” and that imagine “intersectional worlds of abundance, adaptation, reform, and hope.” The first place winner will receive $3,000, second place will receive $2,000, third place will receive $1,000, and nine finalists will receive $300. The deadline to submit is June 13. 

FELLOWSHIPS AND INTERNSHIPS

NEW: –The Business of Fashion is accepting applications for its Next Generation Black Journalists Fellowship, “a six-month, part-time, paid reporting and writing program designed to train and publish aspiring Black writers in the field of fashion business journalism.” Candidates do not need to have any journalism experience; Black writers from any country are eligible to apply. Fellows are paid a $1,500 per month stipend. The deadline to apply is April 28.

NEW: –STAT is accepting applications for the Sharon Begley Science Reporting Fellowship which aims to diversify the ranks of science and health journalists. This is a yearlong fellowship that will begin in August and it is based in Boston. Fellows will be paid $75,000 and receive health insurance through MIT and dental and vision benefits through STAT. The deadline to apply is May 1.

NEW: -MIT Technology Review is accepting applications for its emerging journalist fellowship. Fellows will spend half of their time “searching for story ideas, pitching to your editor, reporting out your ideas, and writing and revising drafts” and the other half of their time “fact checking stories written by other reporters,” as well as attending three meetings a week. Fellows can work remotely or from the Review’s offices in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This is a full-time position that lasts six months, and the pay is $20 per hour. The deadline to apply is May 15.

–The Nation is accepting applications for its annual internship. The internship is full-time, five days a week, and 35 hours per week. It lasts six months, from June to December. Interns are paid $18 per hour. Remote candidates will be considered, but preference will be given to candidates in New York who can come into the office. The deadline to apply is May 12.

–The 19th is accepting applications for its yearlong Frances Ellen Watkins Harper Fellowship, which provides “graduates and mid-career alums of Historically Black Colleges and Universities with full-year, salaried fellowships in editorial, audience engagement, and product and technology.” Fellows will receive a minimum salary of $70,000, as well as benefits. This is a fully remote fellowship. The deadline to apply is May 15.  

–MIT Technology Review is accepting applications for its six-month emerging journalist fellowship for “emerging journalists, and especially women, non-binary or trans people, and people of color, to come and develop their skills.” Candidates can work remotely or from its offices in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The rate is $20 per hour. Send a resume, cover letter, and three clips to [email protected] by May 15.

–Mashable is hiring a shopping intern to write about products across technology, entertainment, and culture. Candidates should have some journalism experience. The rate is $15 per hour, and the position is fully remote. 

–The Hechinger Report is accepting applications for the summer reporting internship. Interns will “research, conduct interviews and write about national K-12 education issues.” Candidates should have a bachelor’s degree and previous experience interning at a news outlet. The pay is $650 per week. The deadline to apply is tomorrow, April 14. 

-The International Women’s Media Foundation is accepting applications for its Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship designed to give “academic and professional opportunities to women journalists committed to human rights and social justice reporting.” Candidates should be working journalists with at least three years of full-time journalism experience. Candidates from around the world are eligible but must be able to speak, read, and write fluently in English. Candidates will be given a $2,000 monthly stipend for six months. More info can be found here.

-Farrar, Straus and Giroux is accepting applications for its yearlong FSG Writer’s Fellowship designed to provide “funding, editorial guidance, and advice on how to forge a writing career.” Fellows will receive $15,000 in two installments, one at the start of the fellowship and one in February 2024. Candidates should not have published a “book-length work in any genre, have a book under contract, or be negotiating a contract either in the United States or abroad” by the fellowship’s start.

–High Country News is accepting applications for its yearlong Virginia Spencer Davis Fellowship which is designed for “early-career journalists interested in reporting on rural communities in the [American] West.” Fellows will aim to publish 24 stories over the course of the fellowship. Fellows are expected to work 32.5 hours per week, and will receive a biweekly stipend of $1,250, as well as a $100 work-from-home allowance and a $500 starting bonus. The position is remote and open to candidates in Arizona, Alaska, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, or Wyoming. The deadline to apply is April 21.

JOBS 

NEW YORK

–The New York Times is hiring an editorial assistant for the opinion section. Candidates should have experience working in a digital news environment and be able to work nights and weekends as needed. The salary range is $74,816.04 to $75,440.

–Atmos Magazine is hiring a full-time climate editor to lead its climate reporting. The editor will oversee two climate stories per week. Candidates should have at least three years experience writing as well as a previous editorial role with an established publisher. The salary range is $73,945 to $90,564. 

CALIFORNIA 

–CalMatters is hiring a politics and campaign reporter to cover campaigns, political figures, and the politics behind state policy. The reporter will write a mix of “in-depth longform, smart enterprise, data-rich card deck explainers, concise newsletter items, and occasional breaking news.” Candidates should have at least three years experience in professional journalism, preferably covering politics. The salary range is $70,000 to $90,000. 

–CalMatters is hiring a climate reporter to report on “state regulations and their impact on Californians, the environment and the economy.” The reporter will also analyze data and should be available to travel frequently. Candidates should have at least three years experience in professional journalism, preferably including environmental policy. The salary range is $70,000 to $90,000. 

–Fresnoland is hiring a lead editor to manage a team of three to five writers who cover housing, air quality, transportation, water, labor and economic issues. Candidates should have at least five years experience working in a newsroom, at least two years experience editing, and experience working on investigative projects. The minimum salary is $84,000, and the position is based in Fresno, California. The deadline to apply is April 24. 

WASHINGTON D.C.

–The New Republic is hiring a senior editor to assign and edit a high volume of pieces on “Capitol Hill’s legislative jostling, analyses of long-running ideological and policy debates, and profiles of major players on the political scene.” Candidates should be based in either Washington DC or New York City. The minimum salary is $106,121. The deadline to apply is May 5.

REMOTE-FRIENDLY

-Them is hiring a senior news editor to assign, edit, and occasionally write daily news coverage. Candidates should have at least five years experience reporting and editing for a major publication and should be “passionate about all things LGBTQ+, but particularly legislation and activism related to LGBTQ+ rights in the US and issues that affect LGBTQ+ Americans.” The salary range is $80,000 to $165,000. This position is remote-friendly, but candidates are expected to work on East Coast hours. 

–Inside Higher Ed is hiring a technology and innovation reporter to cover how tech advances are reshaping the higher ed landscape. Candidates should have at least three years experience as a professional news reporter. The salary range is $50,000 to $60,000. This position is either remote or hybrid in Washington DC.