The Global Investigative Journalism Network publishes articles about the practice of investigative journalism around the world. We’re always on the lookout for contributors interested in writing about the craft of muckraking — nuts and bolts of the practice including tips, tools, strategies, and case studies, as well as about innovation and new models in journalism.
Our contributors have expertise in investigative journalism and other related specialized areas relevant to investigative journalism and include journalists, academics, media trainers, and those in GIJN member groups. Our stories generally run from 500-1500 words, our pay is competitive, and is dependent on specialization and experience.
Readers in more than 100 countries visit our website daily, so we promise an engaged, global audience for your work. Our mission is to strengthen and spread quality investigative journalism around the world, and our publishing is key to this.
Our Sweet Spot
We love case studies that help our readers from around the world — journalists, investigative journalists, journalism students, and those in civil society and nonprofits involved in democracy, freedom of expression, and anti-corruption work — to better understand investigative topics and methods. We also publish profiles of investigative journalism groups — and sometimes of people — that help us learn more about how muckrakers are globally digging in and surviving. We’re also quite fond of data journalism and data visualization, cutting-edge tools and techniques, and sustainability issues, as well as how to craft a captivating digital story or write a beautiful narrative.
Our sweet spot hits the basic mechanics of investigations, including best practices in online searches, following money and decision-making, backgrounding powerful institutions, and navigating complex records. A good Q&A, say with an investigative journalist doing interesting and innovative stories, would be well-received. The clever and innovative use of multimedia, online design, collaboration, and undercover reporting would also find a ready audience. And stories of our colleagues fighting the good fight around the world — Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and beyond — are particularly apropos.
If you’re wondering about how we define investigative reporting, check out our story and video on the topic.
Interested in Contributing?
Send a brief pitch or two — including working headline, what the story is about, who you’ll talk with, and why you are the person to write it — along with links to recent work samples and a bio or CV to hello@gijn.org. Pitches for the global site should have international relevance and application and should be in English. Though for the right piece, we’ll always find assistance with translation and edits with help from one of our dozen regional editors.
Story Ideas
Below are some ideas from stories we have recently published to help you get a handle on our style — simple, straightforward, with plenty of “show don’t tell” examples. Get your pitching hand ready!
Tips and Tools
Here’s a piece on six open source tools to use when reporting from home and another one on forensic methods for covering security forces. Our My Tools series is a reader favorite.
How They Did It
GIJN’s “how they did it” series focuses on particular projects — like this piece on how US universities profited from Indigenous land or how De Correspondent exposed right wing groups — or an investigative method, such as how these reporters used mobile phone surveys to investigate South Sudan’s ongoing conflict.
Case Studies
We also like case studies on lessons learned. We ran this piece about how OCCRP defended itself in UK courts or tips from a member group in Hungary on successful crowdfunding campaigns.
Profiles, Innovation Trends, and Projects
Regional conferences are always a great source for story ideas, and trends around regional issues can be surfaced in regional or country-specific projects that have global application. Features about innovative projects around in-depth and investigative journalism are always of interest. Here’s a personal take from an Aboriginal journalist in Australia, and here’s an analysis on how English is skewing the global news narrative.
Round-Ups and “Listicles”
We’re suckers for extended listicles and round-ups (such as “10 takeaways from [insert writing guru here]”). Check out our recent global podcast recommendations, tools and techniques for unmasking disinformation networks, and tips on collecting CCTV footage from a crime scene.
Resource Center Guides and How-Tos
GIJN manages a popular online Resource Center with hundreds of tip sheets, reporting guides, videos, and more. See an important topic we haven’t covered? If you have expertise or unique insight into it, try pitching us on a guide or tip sheet.