The Sudbury working-group of The Media Co-op is looking for pitches for a paid feature-style article centring experiences and struggles of Indigenous people in Northern Ontario.
If you know of an important story that is not being told, and you think you can tell it, we want to hear from you. It is a chance to make your voice heard, to develop your skills, and to make a positive impact on the community.
We are open to publishing many kinds of content on our site at sudbury.mediacoop.ca, but in this callout we are specifically looking for grassroots journalism in the form of a feature article of 800 to 1500 words. We will also consider pitches for substantive photo- or video-based journalistic pieces. You must submit a pitch for your story to grassrootssudburymedia@gmail.com by May 25, 2015. The pitch should briefly summarize the focus of the story and the sources you expect to draw on. We will commission the best pitch we receive and will pay $75 upon the article's publication on the site. Please note that we can only pay for content that has been queried and approved beforehand!
The Media Co-op is a national network committed to grassroots journalism and other forms of independent media. Grassroots media provides a forum for diverse local voices and experiences that you might not find in the mainstream, facilitates discussion and knowledge sharing on local issues, and supports positive change.
For guidance on writing grassroots journalism, please see these guidelines prepared by the Halifax Media Co-op: http://halifax.mediacoop.ca/info/contributors. (Please also look at the more detailed handbook those guidelines link to.) This kind of journalism prioritizes the stories of ordinary people rather than those with power, and aims to be fair, transparent, and honest, rather than pretending to be objective. It may have a strong viewpoint, but it does not editorialize – opinions and analysis are in others' words, not yours. And please note that if you are new to this kind of writing, we will be happy to give you one-on-one support as you work on your article!
Here are examples of the kinds of stories we publish:
http://sudbury.mediacoop.ca/story/sudbury-whose-downtown-it/32079
http://sudbury.mediacoop.ca/photo/people-gather-support-protecting-our-water-world-w/33291
http://sudbury.mediacoop.ca/story/knowing-your-rights-work/33496
Contact us with any questions you may have – we'd be happy to help you develop your pitch. You can email us at grassrootssudburymedia@gmail.com.
The site for the Sudbury working-group of The Media Co-op has been archived and will no longer be updated. Please visit the main Media Co-op website to learn more about the organization.
The Sudbury working-group of The Media Co-op was formed to create independent media in the North, to speak to our issues and outlooks on our communities as well as the world around us. Independent media provides an avenue for people who are wishing to gain critical perspective on the issues that matter most to us, and to give a voice to those people and stories that you won't find in the mainstream media.
The Sudbury working-group site is no longer being updated and has been archived.