did your pitch get rejected again?
How fast time flies. This is the 17th edition of Missed Pitches
Welcome back to another edition of Missed Pitches!
This is just a regular reminder for you: If you have any rejected pitches that you’d like to volunteer for this newsletter, send it over using this Google Form.
Questions? Suggestions?
Give me a follow on Twitter at @MissedPitches for updates and shout-outs. Read the previous edition here. // rungomez
Contents:
Moving during COVID-19 (by TKhan)
It’s a good thing to have celebrity fangirls (by Liza Bautista)
Cast a spell to make someone fart to death (by Jennifer Billock)
Courage and fear among mountains (by Renée Cherez)
Ban-istan: The history behind Pakistan’s moral policing (by Anmol Irfan)
Editorial contacts
Best of freelance Twitter
Freelance opportunities
Writing jobs
NOTE: The following rejected story pitches have been lightly edited for space and clarity.
Moving during COVID-19 (by TKhan, tkhan@wesleyan.edu)
I’d like to pitch a piece on the impact of the COVID-19 on the moving industry. I’ve already been in touch with some movers and have done pre-reporting. Majority of these movers are from immigrant backgrounds. The piece would look at how the pandemic strikes the impoverished and how inequity continues to persist within movers as they struggle to find work given the impediments since many of them rely on trucks to be on the move.
It’s a good thing to have celebrity fangirls (by Liza Bautista, bylizabautista@gmail.com)
As a Tumblr preteen in 2012, I was obsessed with One Direction and when Harry Styles started going out with Taylor Swift all hell broke loose on the site. Namely, a blog called se7enteenblack (a reference to one of Harry's tattoos) wrote a parody of Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble,” dissing the relationship and Swift.
That sassy songwriter, Ashley Frangipane playing guitar in her bedroom with a hand-drawn “Fuck It” poster in the back became Halsey. This piece of pop culture information has stuck with me for years mainly because Taylor and Halsey are friends now and I wonder if they’ve ever talked about it.
We are in the age of celebrity where famous people now have an internet past as fangirls. This article will discuss the freedom being a fangirl on the internet gives you and learning that celebrities have also participated in insane fan culture makes them more trustworthy and human.
Cast a spell to make someone fart to death (by Jennifer Billock, jenniferjoanbillock@gmail.com)
I recently read three spell books from witches in Iceland in the 1700s, and aside from all the typical countryside magic of finding who's stealing your sheep and winning at bartering, each book had an ancient runic spell to make someone fart — and not just a little gassy, but farting to the amount that it kills the person you cast the spell on.
I’d love to explore this unique aspect of ancient Icelandic witchcraft. I’d include information about the history of witches and runes in Iceland, and speak to an Icelandic historian about the farting spells in particular.
Courage and fear among mountains (by Renée Cherez, reneecherez@gmail.com)
It is possible postcards of Vietnam’s Ha Giang Loop can convince the biggest non-believers that God exists. This northern Vietnam motorbike trail, famous among backpackers, is the ultimate day’s long adventure for adrenaline junkies looking to experience some of the highest elevations in Asia. From the gargantuan emerald mountains, jaw-dropping chasms, and zigzagging roads, it is hard to focus on driving when pure perfection surrounds you.
So why would I, a person who is mortified of heights embark on this journey? My travel motto: Do it for the story. This proposed 800-word essay with images will highlight my 6-month journey in Vietnam, why I chose to take this adventure, and why, eventually, I’ll do it again.
The four days I spent adventuring through nature’s majesty were the scariest days of my life. With no prior experience, I navigated twisting roads, classless truck and bus drivers who overtake without warning, and nightmares of cliff dives. My friend who accompanied me was on a high while I was trying to stay alive. I had no clue my body could experience such levels of fear until the moments of meticulously turning my bike through the windiest of roads with nothing but bluffs facing me. Sweaty palms and a bubbling belly never let me forget that I was out of my element.
Ban-istan: The history behind Pakistan’s moral policing (by Anmol Irfan, anmolirfan01@gmail.com)
I’d like to pitch an article that explores Pakistan’s history with censorship in light of the recent TikTok ban, changes in social media policy and increased control and the history of censorship in the country.
The article will look at why the ban on the viral video app, TikTok, is an attack on the lesser privileged classes of Pakistan. I want to look at the increase in censorship overall which includes web series Churails and the Gala biscuit commercial. In doing so, I want to compare the reasons behind the ban and argue that the reasons the government as given such as inappropriate content is a mere smokescreen to cover up a much greater agenda.
This article will further look at the impact such bans have by not allowing accessible culture to develop and see them as a reason for making conversations around accessibility and bridging class divides so difficult in the country. I want to talk to privacy experts and organizations like Digital Rights Foundations as well as human rights activists who have dealt with the impact of these bans as well.
Through the recent bans, this article will explore how the history of censorship in the country has led to these current policies. It will also compare similar content that falls within the reasoning provided for censoring these things in particular which didn’t face the same backlash.
Editorial Contacts
EachOther (Pitch Guide) - Pitch a story that examines a human rights issue in your community to Dhruva Balram at editorial@eachother.org.uk
Stylist - Pitch first-person beauty feature ideas to Hanna Ibraheem at hanna.ibraheem@stylist.co.uk
The Observer - Pitch on memes, digital art, exhibition reviews, and other arts-related topics from young, queer, BIPOC, and sex working writers to Erin Taylor at etaylor@observer.com
Women’s Media Center - Pitch on climate issues to Lauren Wolfe at laurenwolfe@gmail.com
Economic Hardship Reporting Project - Pitch first-person reported op-eds/essays tackling the subject of economic struggle to Deborah Jian Lee at deborahjlee@gmail.com
Best of Freelance Twitter
NOTE: This space is dedicated to featuring one worthy Twitter account that provides an invaluable service to the freelance community.
⚡️ Follow Omoalhaja at @omoalhajaabiola for insights about the freelance world in Fiverr and Upwork.
Freelance Opportunities
via @sarderrr (March 25): Freelancers: I want to see your Houston/Texas-centric pitches for Chron.com! DMs are open for questions
via @ignaciaismay (March 24): Hello! Are you a great writer and interested in service journalism? Do you love to test and review products? @ItsTheInventory is searching for a small stable of steady freelancers & pitches, so if you're interested, let me know! Rates are negotiable. The best way to contact me is through my work email, ifulcher@g-omedia.com
via @jackie_homan (March 24): Currently accepting editorial pitches for travel startup
@taketinytrips — features/roundups/essays on topics like work culture, wellness, local travel, breaking with convention, and more. Rates from $200-300. Read more and pitch using this form.
via @JohnSterling4 (March 24): @GENbio is looking for freelance writers experienced in covering bioprocessing (upstream and downstream) and biopharmaceutical manufacturing. Email resume & writing samples to jsterling@genengnews.com
via @aditya_shz (March 24): Public address loudspeaker Commissioning stories around #HumanRights & #CivilLiberties in #SouthAsia (200 USD per piece). World map Shout out to #journalists, researchers in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan & Sri Lanka. Memo Submit your pitch.
Writing Jobs
Culture Trip is hiring a Travel Writer - London
Simplicity Consulting is hiring a Part-Time Content Writer - Remote
The Economist is hiring a Fellow - New York or DC
Rolling Stone is hiring a Research Editor - Remote
Red Ventures is hiring a Credit Card Writer - Texas, North Carolina or NY