Thank you for your interest in writing for DAME! Please review the guidelines below for more information on what to pitch, how, and to whom.
What makes a story a DAME story?
You can read more about our mission and core values here. In short, DAME journalism is accessible and intersectional. We’re not interested in breaking news. Instead, our stories transparently and thoroughly explain the context of what’s going on, what’s currently at stake, and who’s most affected.
DAME stories are:
- Unexpected: The story reveals what’s new, unusual, or surprising about a particular topic or issue.
- Emotional: The story explains why people should care or take action, or it accurately puts words to something readers have been thinking or feeling.
- Straightforward: The story provides clear and easy-to-understand information that gives readers a shareable bite. We level with readers.
- Illuminating: The story introduces new ideas, solutions, or information that better equips readers to participate in their community and government.
- Human-centric: We’re interested in people-first narratives over policy reporting. The people at the center of issues and systems should be the central narrating element in our reported stories.
What makes a successful DAME pitch?
- Knock us out in the first few sentences of your pitch. We want to get excited about your story right away, just as we hope our readers will by your feature. Your pitch gives us a feeling of who you are as a journalist. Wow us.
- Pitch a story, not a topic. If you don’t yet know your nut graf or hypothesis of your specific idea, it’s probably not ready to be pitched.
- Take a good look around our site before you send us a pitch to make sure you’re striking the right tone, understanding what makes a DAME story, and that we haven’t recently published something similar to your idea.
- Explain why this story is important right now. Why should readers care?
- Tell us who you plan to talk to for your story, what research or data you expect to reference, and be transparent about any roadblocks, embargoes, or anonymity that may arise through your primary source reporting.
- Tell us why your story is, specifically, a good fit for DAME.
DAME does not accept or publish poetry, fiction, or art.
DAME does not accept pitches of stories previously published, nor do we accept fully written or reported stories.
What are your rates?
We pay $350-750 for reported stories, depending on the length and level of reporting.
How do I submit a story idea?
Use our Pitch Form to submit a pitch. Due to the volume of pitches we receive, we won’t be able to respond to every idea.