Welcome to The Reporters’ Collective pitch page! You are here because you have an investigative story to tell, and we are excited to bring it to light, and give it the spotlight. 

This page will guide you with tips on pitching, tell you what we are looking for in a story, what you can expect from us, the dos and don’ts of drafting a clear pitch, and most importantly, the details on the pay. 

 It’s important that you read this thoroughly because it will help you craft a stronger pitch that will help us instantly recognise a great story.

The Collective started by investigating India’s political economy and governance. That’s still the focus, but over time, we amped up investigations and expanded our scope. In 2023, we launched the TRC Investigative Reporting Fellowship, which is geared towards commissioning long-form stories. Unlike the fellowship that mentors stories with a lengthy gestation period, we are now aiming to find short-haul stories written in English that are almost ready to be told. We’re looking for narratives with major public impact, laden with fresh, unpublished revelations.

So, how do you get us interested in your story, and convince us it is worth paying for? Let’s start with the pitch.

What we like in a pitch

We like a pitch that BRIEFLY tells us upfront what the story is, like how a strong nut graf does the job. You could create the first impression by cutting out the niceties and fluff. Since one of the prerequisites to apply is to have done 90% of your reporting before pitching your story, you should be able to tell us quickly what exactly your story is. 

Tell us BRIEFLY, how you will back up the main theme of the story, why we and our readers should care about the story and how the story is special. Though the operative word is ‘briefly’, the pitch has to be thorough.

If you feel insecure or find it overwhelming to share all the exclusive findings in the pitch, bait us with just the meatiest bit to make us chase you for more. So, let’s agree to keep the word length to 350. 

We are suckers for great writing, so please feel free to use the pitch to give us a peek into what you have for the main course. Start with the spectacular intro that you are planning for the story.

But don’t feel pressured. Often, just being clear is more than enough. To ensure clarity, have a non-journalist close friend or partner review your pitch. They can let you know if the idea comes through clearly in a single read.

Please don’t get into the WhatsApp quick type-send mode. Write, revise, write, revise ….and send.

What kind of stories do we want?

I am sure you read our investigations, if not it would be a good idea to go through them before sending the pitch.

There are wide-ranging stories that deal with India’s political economy, social welfare environment, technology & digital security, governance & accountability, public health and much more. 

But the thread that connects them is that they all help Indian citizens see through government policies and hold the powerful accountable. We insist that our stories shine light on the workings of the powerful – how did a government scheme lead to a scam. How did a powerful business lobby get away with undue advantages at the cost of citizens. We go beyond narrating the plight of victims, and investigate who is responsible for the misgovernance and deprives citizens of their rights and resources.

How does the pitch process work? 

1. You start the process by sending us a pitch.
2. We will respond to your pitch within 5 working days, expressing either a preliminary interest or regret if it does not match our mandate or ability to handle the story. 
3. If we express preliminary interest in your pitch, we will call you to get details on evidence and what more is needed to complete the draft. We take these inputs, and will within 2 working days either commission you or express our regrets. 
4. If commissioned, you file the first draft against a mutually decided deadline. 
5. Story goes through editing (structure, content, design and language), fact-checks and legal-checks. 
6. It’s published. You get paid within 7 working days of the story being published.

^‍Should you disclose sourcing details along with the pitch?

You should give us an idea of the kinds of documents that are being used as evidence to back up the main argument of the story.

It shouldn’t be part of the main pitch text but should be added as a separate description. We have provided a pitch format in the link below.

When do we accept pitches?

We accept pitches on a rolling basis. We might take short breaks if we are overloaded (we are a tiny team). If we pause pitch acceptance temporarily, this page will say so.

We plan to do it monthly. Whenever we are ready to accept pitches, we will put out a call through our X handle the reporters' collective (@reporters_co) / X. So, follow us on X to get updates.

Should you check with us?

It’s totally fine to check with us once. Sometimes things slip through the cracks (after all we are humans and they err) or tech hiccups happen.

Is it okay to submit the pitch to another organisation while it is being reviewed by The Collective?

We expect the pitches to be exclusively made to us. If we do not reply within 5 working days, it’s your right to pitch elsewhere without notice to us. 

Do you have any conflict of interest?

If there is any, no matter how minor an ethical, financial or personal conflict of interest it is, be open with us. We shall help you assess if it passes the journalistic standards. 

How much do we pay?

We pay Rs 40,000 inclusive of all taxes and reimburse travel expenses if any. Once the story has been published, you will receive the payment within 7 working days.