Time flies! Once again, we're looking for more independent grassroots reporting. We will pay two contributors $100 each for news features to be published online by The Dominion and to be considered for the print magazine.

Our members are interested in stories about the growing militancy of health care workers in Alberta, the lack of funding for alternative health care in Canada, Canadian mining interests in Mali, tenant rights, alliance-building and more. Take a minute to look at story ideas submitted by our readers. While all pitches will be considered, as member-driven media, we'll be keeping an eye out for pitches that pick up on these suggestions.

We prioritize solutions-oriented news pieces with a Canadian angle, including photo essays and video pitches. Priority will be given to articles of a time-sensitive nature. If it's an international story, tell us what the Canadian angle will be. If the story focuses on a particular city or region of Canada, tell us why it's of interest to a national audience.

While we are only able to pay for two contributions per month, we do accept unpaid contributions as well. Pitches are welcome from anyone, with priority for payment going to those who have previously contributed.

Please read over past content to get an idea of what we publish. It’s also a good idea to make sure you’re not covering a topic we’ve recently covered, unless there is a new angle or update. Consider what other media has covered the topic you are pitching and from what perspective. Be sure your pitch is news-focused, rather than opinion or academic. We like both of those forms, but they’re not what we publish. Think about your sources and interviewees—this is something we consider seriously when reviewing pitches.

Deadline for pitches: Friday, February 1 at Midnight
Response to pitches by: February 5
First drafts due: February 15
Final copy due: February 28

How to pitch:

1. Set up a Media Co-op account (if you don’t already have one): http://mediacoop.ca/user

2. Check out our writer’s guide for hot topics and details about writing for The Dominion: http://dominionpaper.ca/write For a more in-depth look, check out our Writer’s Guide here: http://mediacoop.ca/writersguide

3. Peruse the Media Co-op discussion page for story ideas: http://www.mediacoop.ca/group/discuss/15363

4. Pitch!: http://mediacoop.ca/pitch

5. Info about making a video pitch: http://dominionpaper.ca/video/create. To pitch a video news clip, contact us: http://dominionpaper.ca/contact

The deal:

Pitches should be less than 200 words and include your planned sources and research. An entire story submitted as a pitch will not be considered for payment. The Media Co-op currently pays a flat rate of $100 for accepted stories. Articles are either 750 or 1500 words. See the video guidelines for length of videos.

Editors reserve the right to suggest changes and edit stories (with your participation, of course!). Pitches should capture the content, tone and style of the story you plan to submit; if the content submitted differs significantly from the pitch, editors reserve the right to withhold payment. We accept pitches at any time, so if these deadlines don’t work for you, please consider contributing at a later date.

We look forward to your story proposals!
The Media Co-op Editorial Collective