Here’s a roundup of publications that are focused on current affairs and/or politics. Included are a wide variety of publications, including many lesser known publications, non-profit publications, regional publications, and even a publication exclusively written and produce by young adults and teens.
Rates vary quite widely, but many of these pay $1.00 per word for the articles they publish.
Climate Home News covers global climate politics. They welcome article pitches from freelance writers from around the world. They want news stories that have a climate change angle as well as an international outlook. Topics of interest include “climate finance, major energy projects, land use conflicts, loss and damage attributable to climate change, greenwash, climate diplomacy and geopolitics.” Rates begin at £0.35/word. For more information, visit this page.
The Lead is a micro-mag about politics and culture. They cover “the sharp angles that define our life in the UK today: poverty, racism, climate change, corporate and government malfeasance, the breakdown of our healthcare system and the fracturing of the state.” They accept submissions for features (1,500-2,000 words), long-reads, essays, and op-eds (800-1,200 words). As per this tweet by The Lead, they pay at least £180 for op-eds. If interested, send your pitches to pitches@thelead.uk. To learn more, refer to this page.
Hammer & Hope is “a magazine of Black politics and culture.” Their aim is to “build a project whose politics and aesthetics reflects the electric spirit of the protesters who flooded the streets in 2020, a project that breathes life into the transformative ideas pointing us towards the world we deserve.” They accept pitches from writers at submissions@hammerandhope.org. They pay $1.00/word for commentary, $1.33/word for reported features, and $300/25 lines or less and $6 each additional line for poems. To learn more, refer to this page.
Type Investigations is a nonprofit investigative newsroom. They cover the “most urgent issues of our time, including racial and economic justice, climate and environmental health, and civil and human rights.” Their written features are generally 4,000-6,000 words and they typically pay $3,000-$6,000 (including travel and reporting expenses). For more information, refer to their pitch guide.
The Progress Network is “a movement that speaks to a better future in a world dominated by voices that suggest a worse one.” They would love to receive substantive good news, solutions journalism stories, constructive opinions on current affairs, and “progress-oriented takes on historical, psychological, philosophical, and cultural themes.” They accept reported articles, opinion essays and think pieces, interviews, reviews, and listicles. Their rates fall somewhere between $250-$650 “depending on length, whether it will include original reporting or not, etc.”. For details, read their pitch and submission guidelines.
The Drift is “a magazine of culture and politics.” They want “socially engaged cultural criticism; class-sensitive analysis; pieces that point out what’s being avoided or talked around in politics, media, arts, or even academia; upbeat cynicism; un-self-serious screeds; generous takedowns; entries from the margins; fiction; poetry; 1-3 sentence book/ movie/ TV/ art reviews.” They pay:
– $2,000 for essays
– $500 – $1,000 for short stories
– $150 for poems
– $25 for Mentions
To learn more, refer to this page.
Broadview is a Canadian print magazine and website about spirituality, justice, and ethical living. The print magazine is published 10 times a year and the website showcases new content daily. They serve a niche audience of progressive Christians and those who share similar core values. They are looking for stories about “spirituality, ethical living, social justice, and the United Church.” They can be “investigative features, engaging profiles, first-person narratives, reported news stories, essays, photo essays, opinion pieces, blogs, interviews or reviews of books or film.” Rate: $0.65 per word for reported pieces and $0.40 per word for Q&As, blogs, and personal essays. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
Reason covers politics, culture, science, and economics from a libertarian perspective. Their magazine’s articles are 850 to 5,000 words long, while their website’s articles tend to be shorter. They rarely accept unsolicited manuscripts. They prefer queries that give a good idea about the proposed article. Our sources suggest that they pay up to $0.50 per word. To find out more, refer to this page.
Politico Magazine features “ambitious, distinctive journalism about the people, ideas, and institutions that matter most in Washington—and beyond.” They are always seeking smart and timely journalism aimed at people with a deep interest in politics. Payment reports indicate that they pay up to $0.62 per word. To learn how to pitch them, visit this page and this page.
Dissent is a website and quarterly print magazine that publishes political and cultural criticism. They welcome submissions for both their website and print magazine. They accept pieces on politics, economics, and culture. They don’t accept fiction or poetry submissions. According to one of their calls for writers, they pay $0.50 per word. If interested, email your submissions to submissions@dissentmagazine.org. For details, read their submission guidelines.
YR Media is “a national network of young journalists and artists who create multimedia content for this generation.” They welcome story submissions from contributors of all skill levels. They want stories that are produced by/for a young audience (late teens to late twenties) and that include people/places that are not always covered by traditional news sources. The stories should have strong visual elements e.g. photos, illustrations, videos, etc. They pay all their contributors. According to their senior mental health and wellbeing editor, they pay $150 per post. To learn more, refer to this page and this pitch form.
The Maple is a Canadian publication that was founded as “an antidote to the establishment corporate press.” They seek opinion pieces and news stories that confront mainstream thinking, center on issues concerning working-class Canadians, and challenge the status quo. The pay rate is CAD 275 for news stories (1,500 words), a flat rate of $130 CAD for opinion pieces (700 to 1200 words), and $325 CAD for in-depth analysis articles (1500 to 2000 words). They pay within five days of work completion. To learn more, refer to this page.
The Atlantic features news and analysis on business, politics, foreign affairs, cultural trends, and technology. According to payment reports, freelance writers can earn anywhere between $100-$500 per assignment. Their pay rates depend on many factors including the writer’s experience, the article’s length and complexity, etc. To learn more, refer to this page.
The Parliament is a monthly print magazine covering EU news, policy, politics, and culture. They welcome pitches for features, interviews, and book reviews from freelance journalists. As per this post, they pay €0.5/word for reported features. To learn more, refer to their contact page and editorial calendar.
New York Focus is a nonprofit investigative newsroom covering New York’s state and local politics. They accept pitches for stories. Their standard rate for a story is $800. They may pay more for big, intensive investigative projects and may pay less for short and newsy pieces. If interested, send your pitches to editor@nysfocus.com. For details, refer to this page.
