Planet Detroit

Call for pitches: Black, indigenous or person of color (BiPOC) journalists

We are thrilled to announce that the Detroit Equity Action Lab Race and Justice Media Collaboration at Wayne State University is partnering with Planet Detroit to support freelance journalists from marginalized communities. 

We seek pitches from Black, indigenous, or people of color (BiPOC) journalists for reporting centered around environmental health issues facing Detroit’s communities of color.

We’re looking for stories that go beyond the surface and disrupt common narratives about Detroit’s marginalized communities. We’re especially interested in human stories that help us understand how environment and health challenges impact Detroiters’ lives, now and over generations, and how community knowledge can lead to solutions at the grassroots.

Pitches can take the form of a written feature, reported essay, explainer, or short documentary film. All work must be based in fact and include original reporting.

Journalists will be offered competitive rates, resources, and mentorship. Our hope is to contribute to the cultivation of a strong stable of local journalists of color.

Send short pitches, writing samples, and resume to Nina Ignaczak nina@planetdetroit.org with the subject line: “PITCH: DEAL”

Please send pitches by July 9 EXTENDED TO MONDAY JULY 12.

Nina Misuraca Ignaczak

Nina Misuraca Ignaczak is a contributing editor for Detour Detroit. She is the founder and executive editor of Planet Detroit, a digital media startup that tells Detroit’s environmental stories while building a community of engaged readers who are informed and empowered to act personally and publicly. She is an award-winning freelance journalist who writes, edits and produces stories about the environment, place and identity. Her recent work has been published by Detour Detroit, Belt Magazine, HuffPost, Detroit Free Press, WDET, Crains Detroit Business, Business Insider, Curbed Detroit and Model D. Prior to her career in journalism, she worked in urban planning in the local government and nonprofit sectors. She has a Master of Science in Natural Resource Ecology and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Michigan. Follow her on Twitter: @ninaignaczak

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