Hi all, you might not know this, but I actually help out with another newsletter called The Objective. We report on journalism and media itself, and examine how it can be doing better by communities it reports on. We just received funding for pieces looking at science journalism from NASW! It’s incredibly exciting. More details and how to apply below! 👇
The history of science in the United States has been fraught with as much bias as its journalism. From famous cases of medical cruelty to privately funded “debunking” of climate change, the facts that studies are based on can be influenced.
Funded by the National Association of Science Writers, The Objective is soliciting pitches about how science journalism ignores the communities it should be helping most and injustices within the institution itself. We are paying four writers a flat rate of $500 per piece, with the intention that each of these pieces should be published with The Objective on or before November 20th. We understand that this is a quick turn-around for some writers, and will work with an author if their pitch is selected on deadlines.
What is The Objective?
The Objective is a nonprofit newsroom holding journalism accountable for past and current systemic biases in news within reporting and newsroom practices.Until 2021, the organization functioned as an all-volunteer organization. With this grant from NASW and others, we are beginning to pay writers for their work and will continue to do so as long as it’s financially sustainable.
What are we looking for?
We are looking for criticism focusing specifically on how science journalism could improve coverage of historically marginalized communities and support its writers from those communities. Stories like:
The lack of coverage over how rural communities are dealing with climate change (the 2020 derecho, community gardening, the Ogallala Aquifer, lack of support for family farms, the water rights of Tribal Nations, etc).
How journalists often glorify space programs and see them as disconnected with civil rights movements — both modern and historical.
How “Both-sides-ism” from editors over established scientific fact, like climate and gender science, push harmful narratives.
How technology is often looked at as a black box that advances society, preventing analysis of structural inequities, discussions about what “progress” is and algorithmic bias.
Essentially, if your pitch concerns science, objectivity, journalism, and injustice, we’d like to read it. We encourage unpublished journalists, including scientists, students, postdocs, and activists, to pitch. Please don’t let inexperience in this specific realm discourage you from reaching out!
We will contact you ASAP to let you know if we decide to move forward with your pitch or not. Deadline for pitches is September 10th at 11:59PM PST. We will contact you within one week of the deadline if your piece is selected.
If you have questions, please email contact@objectivejournalism.org. (Or me, you can totally email me with questions at marleebaldridge@gmail.com).