Pitch a Story

Writing for Weave News: FAQs

If you have a story that you think could be appropriate as a general submission for Weave News, we would love to hear from you! (Note that we also have specific series, each of which has its own submission process and guidelines. See the Series menu above for more details.) Below you’ll find a FAQs section addressing many questions that potential authors typically have. You’re always welcome to reach out to us at our Contact page as well. We look forward to receiving your pitch!

What kinds of content is Weave News looking for?

If you share our commitment to grassroots journalism and the investigation of underreported stories, then Weave News could be the perfect outlet for your work! We are looking for traditional investigative reports, but also first-person accounts, interviews, audio reports, and creative pieces touching on issues and perspectives that tend to be underrepresented or poorly understood. We encourage you to peruse our mission and our website in order to become familiar with our work.

Do I need to be an experienced writer with prior publications?

Some of our authors are experienced writers, but others are just beginning their journey as grassroots journalists. We are proud of our record of publishing exciting work from first-time and other emerging authors.

What makes an article a Weave News article? What kinds of things do you emphasize?

While we publish a variety of types of writing, there are certain elements that tend to be found in our publications.:

  • Journalism: is written in a journalistic (rather than strictly academic or purely informal) style; addresses what is happening in the world around us and seeks to provide some combination of description and analysis regarding those events; uses reputable source material such as direct observation, contextual information, visuals, quotes from people affected, quotes from people with important perspectives, etc.

  • Social justice: clearly addresses how the topic/story has justice implications (for individuals, communities, ecosystems, etc.); pays attention to movements seeking justice on behalf of the global majority; prioritizes the perspectives, concerns, needs, and aspirations of ordinary people

  • Transparency: is open about the author’s social location, perspective, interest in the topic, etc.; uses subjectivity as a source of authenticity while still adhering to standards of responsible representation (treating evidence fairly, seeking truth)

  • Global/Local: makes connections between what is happening in one place and what is happening elsewhere, helps the audience see both the immediate, “local” story as well as its broader implications

  • Individual/Structural: goes beyond anecdotal examples (from the author’s own life or the lives of other individuals) to tell us something about the structures and processes within which individuals live their lives

  • Critical/Alternative: provides a critical perspective on dominant narratives by foregrounding voices, interpretations, and experiences that tend to be absent from or underrepresented in corporate/establishment media coverage 

If you are thinking about pitching a story, review this list and ask yourself whether your work would clearly include at least a couple of these elements. If not, it might make more sense to pitch your story with another outlet.

Do you offer compensation to authors who publish with Weave News?

While we are a small organization with limited financial resources, we deeply value the contributions of our authors and strive to provide modest compensation within our means. By doing so, we aim to recognize authors’ labor and sustain diverse voices in grassroots journalism. Our current compensation policy is as follows:

  • We only offer compensation in the case of articles for which Weave News is the original publication outlet.

  • For single-author articles, we are currently able to offer a maximum of $50 per article. For multiple-author articles, we are currently able to offer a maximum of $150 per article. (This amount is a total to be shared among co-authors.)

  • We also offer authors the option to “pay forward” their compensation in order to support other authors who have a greater financial need. These funds will be reallocated at the discretion of Weave News staff.

  • We offer compensation for up to 3 articles per author per calendar year.

  • All decisions regarding potential compensation are made by Weave News staff, taking into account the specificity of each article (e.g., word count, investigative depth, etc.) as well as our budgetary capacity. Authors will be notified of compensation decisions at the time their article is accepted for publication.

What other kinds of support do you offer for authors?

If you join us as a content contributor, we can offer you:

  • Editorial support (from critical feedback and suggestions to copy editing and formatting)
  • An attractive platform for your work
  • An audience that is actively seeking fresh perspectives
  • A social media team that can help promote your work