The Examination is a start-up nonprofit newsroom telling vital stories on the global public health beat.
We are accepting pitches for originally reported stories that fit into our mission. We are also open to partnering with journalists at other news outlets.
Our reporting seeks to define, describe and even begin to close this health inequity gap, exposing those most responsible — and elevating the voices of those most harmed. Industries with direct roles in damaging the health of communities will be a primary focus.
Our beats include tobacco, industrialized food and corporate polluters, which we will cover in partnership with collaborating journalists around the world.
How to pitch
To submit a pitch to The Examination, please email pitches@theexamination.org with the following:
Working headline
A few paragraphs describing your proposed story and reporting plan
A brief bio telling us why you’re well-positioned to cover this story
A few clips of your relevant work
We expect contributors to disclose any potential conflicts of interest up front. All contributors on greenlit proposals are paid for their work. We will also pay freelancers to develop promising pitches that require more research or pre-reporting.
Interested in working with us, but don’t have a pitch? If you’re an available freelancer with experience reporting on global health issues — especially on our key beats of tobacco, industrialized food and corporate polluters — please email us with your bio and relevant clips to be considered for assignments.
What we’re looking for
Here are some tips and guidelines for proposing stories that would make a good fit for The Examination. A strong pitch would answer many of the following questions:
Is it new? We’re looking for exclusive and revelatory reporting that hasn’t been done before. Please propose original stories or approaches to covering a specific global health issue, not a topic on the beat.
Who’s responsible? Our stories seek to investigate specific causes and drivers of preventable health crises.
Is it of global interest? Our coverage examines health threats from an international perspective, and highlights case studies from under-reported communities and parts of the world.
Why now? Public health crises are often slow-rolling disasters. Please explain your news peg for covering this issue.
Who is affected? Your story should identify the people and communities in harm’s way, and report on their experiences.
Is there potential for impact? We want stories that identify specific individuals, institutions or industries accountable for public health harms or that raise public awareness in an actionable way.
Are there solutions? We are interested in highlighting people and efforts seeking to bring about change, and examine ideas that have the potential to improve health outcomes for communities in harm’s way.
What evidence do you have that this is a story? Please summarize what you know about this issue, any reporting or research you’ve already done, and why you feel you can develop the story further.
How will you report this? Briefly explain how you plan to pursue this story.
Minimum story and ideal nut graf: Please summarize the baseline findings you feel you can achieve in this story, as well as the points you hope to prove through your reporting. We understand that the story may change or evolve from your initial proposition, but this gives us an idea of what you are aiming for, the questions you’d be exploring, and what a minimum realistic story could be.
Potential reporting partners? The Examination specializes in cross-border journalism collaborations. Are there news outlets, communities, or countries in which a reporting partnership would enhance your story?