Deadline: 1 March 2011
Are you a journalism student? Do you want to work as a paid freelancer?
UPI.com is looking for a few good stories!
Every j-student who posts a story on UPIU has a shot at a UPI.com byline, but now UPIU is looking for stories that will be written specifically for UPI.com. Three students who pitch the best story ideas will be paid $100 each to write those stories.
How does it work? In the journalism world, reporters pitch story ideas to editors. That’s what we want you to do here. The THREE best story pitches will be chosen.
You can pitch up to TWO story ideas. However, we won’t choose two ideas from the same student. The three chosen story pitches will most likely be significantly different from one another, and will be from three different areas of the world.
Who is eligible? If you are an aspiring journalist, you’re eligible to submit a story pitch, no matter where you live, as long as you have a UPIU profile. (Go here to set one up!)
What should my story pitch be about? Internet access has been in the news a lot lately. Anti-government protests in North Africa were largely fueled by social media, and the Egyptian government did what it could to shut down the Internet entirely. Internet access in Iran was reportedly shut down in the wake of the protests in Egypt. After the earthquake in Haiti, naval ships provided Internet connection to the island. Cuba is expected to receive high-speed internet via fiber-optic cable from Venezuela.
We’re looking for stories about Internet infrastructure and access.
Here are some questions to get you thinking:
* Who owns, or controls, the Internet in your country? Has Internet access reached rural regions in your country? If so, how much does it cost to access the Internet? Is the Internet available to anyone, or only to a high-income group?
* Is Internet access viewed as a right or a privilege in your area?
* Are there initiatives to ensure that people at every income level have Internet access? If not, why not? If so, what are those initiatives? What has or hasn’t worked? Are there any initiatives, globally, to provide Internet access to everyone? If so, is one person or organization able to shut off Internet access?
* Has Internet access been compromised in your country? If so, how do people get around government restrictions?
* Is there evidence that governments have used social media to spread its own message? If so, do people trust what they read via social media?
Your story must be timely, and must have strong news value. We DON’T want a story that is a general overview of Internet access. We DO want a story that reveals something new or noteworthy about Internet access. Your story must have a SPECIFIC focus.
Remember, we’re looking for three unique story pitches. We won’t choose three pitches that are similar.
What makes a good story pitch? Tell us, in one or two succinct paragraphs, what your story idea is. Your idea must have news value. It must be timely, with a solid news hook. Give us details that show you’ve done some preliminary reporting. Tell us who you intend to interview, and where and how you will find your sources. Remember, we’re judging the pitches based on the final stories we want to see. If you pitch a story, we expect to see that final product. If your final product does not match your pitch, you won’t be paid the full freelance stipend, and you won’t earn a UPI.com byline.
Can I pitch a multimedia story? Yes, multimedia story pitches are acceptable.
Which story pitches will the judges toss out?
* Pitches that are longer than two paragraphs, or pitches that are two extremely long paragraphs, will be discarded.
* If the story idea is a good one but the pitch doesn’t include details of who will be interviewed for the story, the pitch will be tossed.
* If the story pitch doesn’t fulfill the topic outlined above, the pitch will be thrown out.
* If you submit more than two story ideas, all of your story ideas will be ineligible.
* Pitches that are submitted in any way other than via the UPIU message system will be discarded.
If you choose my story pitch, what’s the next step? UPIU mentors will work with you to develop a reporting plan for your story, as well as an initial outline. Once you do your reporting, your mentor will ask for an updated outline. By the time you write your story, your mentor should have a good idea of what the final product will be.
What happens if my story doesn’t work out?
If we accept your story pitch but you don’t deliver, you’ll be paid what’s known as a kill fee of $25. That means that we appreciate the effort you made to produce a good story, but your work doesn’t fit our needs. If your story is killed, we’ll think twice about approving your story pitch the next time around, so make sure you can produce the story you pitch!
What’s the deadline and how do I submit my pitch? Send your story pitch to Krista Kapralos via the UPIU message system by12 p.m.. EST on Tue. March 1. If your story is chosen, the final product will be due at 12 p.m. EST on Tue., March 15.