Want to pitch more effective science and health-related stories, but running low on inspiration? Interested in incorporating more evidence and data-based reporting into your coverage? Or do you want to learn how to cover complex scientific topics for a broader audience? Our Sept. 29 webinar from 12-1:15 ET on health and science journalism will help you enhance your skills or find a new passion for these fields!

RSVP here.

Speakers include:

Lori Leibovich is the editor of the Well section of the New York Times. A digital media veteran, she has worked at HuffPost, Time Inc., Salon, theSkimm and many other publications. She lives in Brooklyn with her family.

Kyung Song is a managing editor at WebMD. She leads a team of staff editors and writers and is the lead recruiter for freelancers. She worked for The Seattle Times for 16 years, covering Congress, aerospace, and health (not simultaneously). Kyung started her career as a business reporter for The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky. She was born in Seoul and grew up in Seattle.

Shraddha Chakradhar is the deputy news editor for diversity, shaping coverage of issues at the intersection of science and race, gender, and inequity and helping oversee Science’s Diverse Voices internship program. She was most recently deputy editor of the Nieman Journalism Lab, where she wrote and edited stories on digital innovation in journalism. Her work experience includes being a reporter and internship coordinator at STAT. She was the writer of the publication’s flagship newsletter, Morning Rounds.

Going to Chicago for JAWS Camp? Join the IIJ for a Meetup!

If you’ll be in Chicago for the Journalism & Women Symposium’s 2023 Conference and Mentoring Program CAMP, join the IIJ for a freelance meetup Oct. 13 before the welcome reception!

You’ll have the opportunity to chat with IIJ leaders including founder Katherine Reynolds Lewis and other independent journalists in Chicago and beyond!

Email Katherine at [email protected] to RSVP.

Visit the JAWS site for more information.

Pitch Callouts, Fellowships, and Other Opportunities

Conde Nast Traveler Pitch Callout

Conde Nast Traveler is accepting pitches for various subject areas, including women who travel, cruising, outdoors, and city guides.

Rates: $300+

For more details on how to pitch, visit their pitch guide.

Paper Magazine Pitch Callout

PAPER Magazine is commissioning features, interviews, profiles, and takes on fashion, music, nightlife, art, and internet culture.

Email your story ideas to [email protected] 

Rates: $350+

i_D Pitch Callout

i_D is looking for pitches for film lists, rankings, and featurs.

Email your story ideas to [email protected] 

Rates: $213+

TransLash Media Pitch Callout

TransLash Media is commissioning original nonfiction writing about art as resistance from a Black trans femme lens for their zine, “Black Trans Artistic Legacies.”

Rates: $250-$350

For more details on how to pitch, visit their pitch guide.

The deadline to pitch is Sept. 30.

The New York Times Local Investigations Fellowship

If you’re a local beat reporter who wants to tell investigative stories in your communities, but lack resources or support to do so, consider applying to the New York Times’ Local Investigations Fellowship.

Fellows in this one-year-long fellowship will work on an investigative project focused on their state or region under the guidance of veteran editors.

The annual base pay range is between $79,214.76 and $82,000.

For more information or to apply, visit their site.

The deadline to apply is Oct. 1. However, urgent and time sensitive pitches will still be considered if submitted by Dec. 31.

The Wall Street Journal Finance Reporting Fellowship

If you’re an early career journalist interested in covering financial markets or personal finance, consider applying to WSJ’s finance reporting fellowship.

Fellows will spend 12 months in the New York newsroom as full-time reporting staff members. One will be with The WSJ’s Finance team, while the other will be with the Personal Finance team on the Life & Work desk.

The pay range is between $40,000 and $70,000

For more information or to apply, visit their site.

The deadline to apply is Nov. 10, 2023 by 11:59 p.m. ET.

Interesting Reads

This week, we’ve been reading about equity-oriented teacher trainings, the weight of grieving a parent, and one formerly incarcerated writer’s experiences with COVID-19 while inside.

• Read Katherine Reynolds Lewis’ investigative piece “​​Schools spend billions on training so every student can succeed. They don’t know if it works” for USA TODAY. In it, she breaks down equity professional development with various graphs and charts and explains what school leaders are doing to end bias and disparity as well as the importance of hiring teachers of color.

• Read Nishanth Injam’s essay, “Burning My Mother” for The Atlantic. In it, he weaves a heartaching personal story of the process of grieving his mother in adulthood.

• Read David Campbell’s essay, “What living through COVID in jail taught me about abolition” for Scalawag Magazine. In it, he explains how the pandemic taught him both lessons of empathy and despair that he then applied to his abolitionist work.

• We're always eager to connect with freelance journalists of color who'd like to be involved in the work of the IIJ or contribute to future programs. Email [email protected] to volunteer—or if you have an idea for a partner, funder or topic we should explore.

Calendar

We love growing the IIJ family and connecting with fellow freelance journalists, so please come to one of our events! Here are the upcoming IIJ events:

• Sept. 29 health and science journalism webinar. RSVP here to attend.

• Oct. 13 freelance meetup in Chicago at JAWS camp. Email Katherine ([email protected]) to RSVP.

• Oct. 27 long-form journalism careers webinar. RSVP here to attend.

• Nov. 17 business and personal finance editors panel. RSVP here to attend.

• Dec. 8 travel and lifestyle freelancing webinar. RSVP here to attend.

• Jan. 19 insurance for freelancers webinar. RSVP here to attend.

• Feb. 9 sports and fitness journalism webinar. RSVP here to attend.