How (and what) to pitch Straight Arrow News

Straight Arrow News is open to excellent stories from freelance journalists. We welcome pitches that tackle important, timely topics in ways that will register with a national audience invested in reading unbiased reporting.

We are actively seeking stories that can make local issues feel compelling to a national audience. For example, could a new law passed in one state be of interest to folks across the country facing similar issues? Has there been a breakdown of public services – trash, water quality, improper billing – in one city that can serve as an entry point into a national conversation? We love stories that offer solutions.

Above all, we value original reporting that can take a national or local issue and, as we say, “Make It Matter”.

Typically, Straight Arrow News freelance stories fall into three categories:

• Standard features: Stories that require at least three sources interviewed and produce original reporting; typically 800-1,000 words.
• Deep dives: Stories that require more than three sources interviewed, as well as analysis and data, which may be acquired via public records requests; typically 1,200 to 1,500 words.
• Longform enterprise: Stories that require at least five sources to be interviewed, as well as intense analysis and the use of several data points, which are not readily available and for which the reporter smartly uses investigative skills to find a unique way to tell a story that hasn’t been reported elsewhere; may exceed 2,000 words.

To submit a freelance pitch to Straight Arrow News, please fill out this pitch form.