Would you like to share tips for how the average American can get involved in the climate change movement? Maybe you’re interested in writing about your experience paying off federal student loans. Or you want to pitch a personal essay about your town’s mayoral elections.
When it comes to politics, there’s a lot to know — and plenty of points of view.
With the 2024 elections inching closer and closer, there’s a chance you have something to say about international, federal, state or local politics.
The trick can be finding a political publication that’s a good match for your story. Do you bleed blue, stand firmly on the right or aim for that ever-elusive objective style of journalism? Do you want to craft an academic article, op-ed or political fiction?
Whatever your style and passions may be, there’s probably a publication where you can pitch your political ideas.
Get paid to cover politics: 15 outlets to pitch now
Here are 15 political publications to consider pitching.
1. The American Conservative
This publication takes a conservative view on politics, world issues, culture and events. A reader can expect to find all of the previous alongside topics such as urbanism, current affairs, education and much more which creates a great amount of scope for writers to consider when pitching their work.
The American Conservative requests that you send pitches or drafts along with a short bio, with a requested length of between 800 & 1500 words.
2. The American Prospect
Searching for a publication for your progressive ideas? Consider The American Prospect, which covers topics ranging from the government’s handling of natural disasters to Brexit to the upcoming 2024 presidential election. The American Prospect is a quarterly print magazine, but it also publishes articles to its website daily.
Online pieces typically run at around 1,000-1,500 words, but there isn’t a strict word count for print pieces.
Payment will be discussed once your pitch is accepted.
3. DAME Magazine
DAME examines a variety of political topics, with a special emphasis on issues that affect women. You can pitch for the politics, policy, law and economics sections, but culture and science articles often include a political slant, too.
Word count and pay will depend on what type of piece you pitch.
4. Guernica
Itching to bust out your creative writing chops? Guernica publishes a range of political pieces, including personal essays, fiction and poetry. The publication also accepts reports and interviews with experts.
Pay varies depending on the genre you pitch. Guernica does not pay for short-form nonfiction, which the website defines as being under 2,500 words. If you want to write nonfiction for the website, it does pay for long-form pieces.
5. Harper’s Magazine
This is a monthly magazine and daily website that covers both domestic and international news/politics. You’ll find topics ranging from dispatches in modern day Russia to musings on the Israel / Palestine crisis and the magazine accepts fiction submissions.
Word count and payment will be discussed once your pitch is accepted.
6. Jacobin Magazine
This is another publication that has both a print magazine (published quarterly) and a website that updates daily. Jacobin publishes left-leaning articles on a variety of political topics, from unions and wages to borders and immigration.
Jacobin asks that freelance pieces be under 2,000 words. Rates are negotiable, but blog posts pay a minimum of $50 and print pieces pay at least $125.
7. JSTOR Daily
JSTOR Daily’s tagline is “Where news meets its scholarly match.” This should give you a good idea of the type of articles they offer their readers — scholarly takes on current events. Pieces are divided into five sections: Arts & Culture, Business & Economics, Politics & History, Science & Technology and Education & Society.
Blog posts run at 400-500 words, and feature stories are 1,500-2,000 words. JSTOR typically pays between $50 and $500.
8. The New Republic
This is a left-leaning magazine that also has a website. It publishes nonfiction and poetry related to politics, culture and climate. The New Republic also publishes reviews of politically-based books, so if you have a take on a recent book, this could be the place to publish your thoughts.
Poems are limited to one page in length. The New Republic does pay for both poetry and nonfiction work, but the website doesn’t specify how much.
9. POLITICO
POLITICO is unique in that it places a heavy focus on policy. If you have an opinion or perspective on a certain policy, ranging from cannabis to space to immigration, you might consider pitching. The website also has an entire section dedicated to the 2024 election. If you want to write about how news, polls, money, endorsements or issues play into the elections, POLITICO might be a good match.
POLITICO doesn’t specify length of pieces or how much it pays writers.
10. The Progressive
As the name suggests, The Progressive is a left-leaning website. It publishes investigative reporting related to current events, activism, social movements and the United States’ relationship with foreign policy.
Blog posts range from 900-1,400 words and generally pay $100. Print pieces will be longer and will probably pay more.
11. Slate
Slate is a progressive website that presents pieces on news, politics, culture, technology, business and human interest. Each category is split into subsections, making it easier to determine what type of piece to write. For example, under News & Politics, your pitch may fall under “War Stories” or “The World.”
Length and pay will depend on what type of piece you pitch.
12. VICE
VICE publishes articles on a wide range of topics, but the categories related to politics are news, technology, money, drugs, election 2024, identity and the environment. However, its other sections occasionally include pieces with a political emphasis. Writing tends to lean to the left.
VICE does not specify length or how much it pays writers.
13. Washington Examiner
This conservative publication covers politics, policy, news, opinion and business. The most common way to get your piece published by the Washington Examiner is to pitch an op-ed piece.
The Washington Examiner requests that op-eds remain under 700 words, and it does not say how much it pays writers.
14. World Politics Review
World Politics Review is known for its relatively objective take on political issues. It focuses on global politics and news, so if you’d like to pitch a piece about politics in another country, World Politics Review could be for you. If you want to write about the U.S., your pitch should probably focus on international relations.
You can pitch an idea for a briefing, which will run at 900-1,100 words and pay $250. Features are 3,000-4,000 words, and pay is on a case-by-case basis.
15. Yahoo
You don’t have to cover federal or international politics to write for Yahoo. You can address all levels of politics, right down to what’s going on in your own neighborhood. Yahoo accepts personal essays related to politics and memories of major events. It also publishes commentaries, opinions and stories about your city or state.
Length and payment will depend on what type of piece you write.
With the 2024 elections fast approaching, nearly every Tom, Dick and Harry seems to have political opinions. By choosing the right outlet for your story, you might be able to make your political voice heard over all the noise.
Know of any other political publications that work with freelance writers? Leave your suggestions in the comments below.
Photo via Joaquin Corbalan P / Shutterstock