Mongabay regularly offers opportunities for journalists, students, and nature enthusiasts to be involved with our efforts to raise awareness and report on environmental issues.

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PAID REPORTING

Global issues, regional teams

Mongabay provides opportunities for journalists around the world to report on key environmental and conservation stories.  As a global news outlet, Mongabay is organized into regional editorial teams that commission and assign stories associated with multiple Special Reporting Projects (SRP).  Each of the following pages includes a list of priority topics.  Submitting your pitch through our online forms will guarantee that your pitch will be received by the appropriate editor.

• Africa (English or French)
• Brazil  (English or Portuguese)
• India (English or Hindi)
• Latin America (English or Spanish)
• Oceans (English)
• Southeast Asia (English)

Journalists are encouraged to review the SRP pages below for additional guidance on Mongabay’s reporting priorities.  Each SRP page is currently accepting pitches and includes a description of the scope of the project and what topic areas we are covering:

• Agroecology
• Apes
• Áreas Naturales Protegidas
• Bangladesh stories
• Carbon offsets
• Causas (drivers) de la deforestación y políticas forestales
• Coastal climate solutions
• Conservation solutions
• Changing Africa
• Fisheries in Indonesia
• Global Fisheries
• Gestión de tierras, bosques y propiedad del territorio indígena
• Illegal wildlife trade
• Indigenous peoples, local communities, and conservation
• Land rights and extractive industries
• Las cadenas de valor de los bosques 
• Palm Oil
• Planetary Boundaries
• Roads and Rail in Island Southeast Asia
• Sumatran Rhinos
• Tropical Forests
• Reforestation

* Please note that we are not accepting any pitches outside of these areas.

What you should know before pitching your idea

The pitch submission forms located within the above listed SRP pages will ask for the following documents and basic contact information, so it is best to have these ready when submitting your pitch:

1. Title of your pitch:  We recommend a short and descriptive pitch title, something that will catch the editor’s attention and resonates with the SRP you are applying for.  This could also stem from what you hope the title of your story will be.  Does your pitch title summarize the main story idea?
2. Upload your pitch:  Pitches should be roughly 500 words in length and include a title for the project – anything longer than that might skew the editor’s interest.  Viable pitches should clearly explain the specific subject you would like to write about in detail, your approach to covering it, and describe a few potential sources.  If you are proposing a story that is led by video, please include a short description of your video idea and how you plan to carry it out. Pitches for video-led stories should also include an expected shot list, a list of interviews, and a link to preview any footage or final videos in your pitch, if available. Please note that Mongabay may not accept videos whose production status has already started. Later production status projects can be pitched but will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
3. Provide a brief sentence describing what your pitch is about:  Summarize your pitch in a short paragraph to allow the editor to quickly get a synopsis of your pitch.
4. Will your story require travel: Support for travel expenses may also be provided by Mongabay. Please include and upload a preliminary budget estimate (using this template) if travel expenses will be required to carry out reporting. Do not include payments for your work in this budget estimate. Please also describe COVID-19-related precautions you intend to take and any travel restrictions that may impact your plans.
5. Upload your resume or CV:  Your resume or CV should succinctly capture your experience, skills, accomplishments, and educational background, etc., as applicable. If you are proposing a story that is led by video, the available link to an updated portfolio is highly desirable.
6. List media outlets, links, or clips to your work:  Include a short list of where your work has been published, including links to some of the stories you feel best to reflect your talents. If you reference previous video work, please specify the role(s) undertaken in the video project.

Once you have completed the submission form and uploaded the requested documents, remember to hit the [submit] button. Mongabay staff will review and respond to your pitch within 3 weeks. Unsolicited pitches sent via email or chat may not receive any response.

When a Mongabay editor responds to a pitch, contributors may be asked to refine the story idea or scope before approval. New contributors should expect to be contacted by Mongabay’s operations team to sign an agreement and establish payment processes.