The New School Free Press welcomes and encourages students, staff, and faculty to submit their work for publication including, but not limited to, written articles, photographs, videos, and podcasts. We actively seek outside contributions, suggestions, and tips to keep our coverage relevant, interesting, and diverse.
Below are the guidelines for pitching a story to each desk at the New School Free Press. Please ensure that you follow the appropriate guidelines for the desk that you are pitching to. Please note that freelancers will be required to sign a contract with the Free Press agreeing to our Code of Ethics and Community Agreements prior to moving forward on an approved pitch.
Note on conflicts of interest: If you’re submitting a pitch with the intention of writing the piece, please make sure to disclose any conflict of interest (examples: if you’re a member of a club featured in the story, if you’re involved with the planning of an event, if a source in the pitch is a roommate/friend/relative, etc.). If there is a conflict of interest, we will assign your piece to a writer on our staff.
If you are unsure about which section is right for you, email your pitch in the following format to nsfreepress@gmail.com
Approximately 250 words outlining the who, what, when, where and why of your story:
- Who — Tell us who you plan to interview and why they are important to the story.
- What — Tell us what the story will be about. If you are covering an event, tell us when it is happening and whether you anticipate needing any resources to cover it.
- When — When did / will the story take place? What are the relevant chronological details about it?
- Where — Where does it happen? Which part of the university / community are you writing about?
- Why — Why is now the time for a story like this? Why should you be the one to write it? This is a good opportunity to demonstrate that you have the necessary access and knowledge to write a compelling story.
News
We welcome pitches from anyone in the TNS community who is passionate about journalism and eager to contribute to our news coverage. Your pitch should be concise, no longer than 400 words, and no less than 200 words. Whether you wish to work on the story yourself or prefer to pass the idea along, our news editor can assign the pitch to a full-time reporter.
Headline: Your headlines should be no more than 10 words. Be direct and not flashy.
Summary: Provide a summary (2-3 sentences) of the story idea. Highlight the newsworthiness and relevance to our audience.
Angle: Explain the specific angle you plan to take and why it’s unique or important.
Sources: List potential sources you intend to use, including any exclusive access you might have.
Background: Offer a brief background on the topic, especially if it’s not widely covered or if you think we might not be familiar with it.
Word Count & Timeline: Estimate the word count and propose a timeline for when you can deliver the story.
Reporting Plan: How are you going to achieve publishing this story? Do you have access? Sources?
Your Credentials: Include a short bio and any relevant experience or past work that makes you the right person to cover this story.
Send your pitch to News editors at the emails below:
Alexiah Syrai Olsen
olsel117@newschool.edu
Bianca Rodriguez-Mora
rodrb167@newschool.edu
Arts & Culture
If you’re interested in music, art, culture, fashion, food, sports, performing arts, and/or live events, we’d love to have your voice in the New School Free Press. We look to publish stories that involve and impact New School students and the local arts community, so whether you’d like to cover a CoPA performance, a fashion show put on by Parsons students, review a nearby restaurant, or spotlight a New School club/initiative/brand, we’d love to hear your pitch. Not sure if it’s what we’re looking for? Pitch anyway and we’ll work with you.
Headline: Grab our attention! Keep it short and to the point.
Summary: Summarize in a few sentences what/who the story is about, the angle you plan to take, and why it’s important/relevant to our school or local community.
When in doubt look to the 5 Ws: who, what, when, where, and why.
Format: Article (include word count), photojournalism piece, video, etc.
Sources: Who do you need to talk to? Do you have access to your sources? Have you spoken to anyone already? Link/attach any further information if you have it (social page, event posting, a poster, school announcement).
Dates: Let us know when you can get a draft in as well as any important dates, like if it’s an event, when is it happening?
Note on events: we prefer to publish event stories before the event happens or within 3 days max of the event taking place.
About you: Give us a little info about you! We would love to know any relationship you have to the subject matter and your experience with writing/journalism.
Send your pitch to Arts & Culture editors at the emails below:
Sydney White
whits37@newschool.edu
CeCe Parks
parkc122@newschool.edu
Opinion
All articles submitted must be between approximately 550 and 800 words, with a suggested headline at the top. Paragraphs should be between two and four sentences long.
For both if you are or are not pitching with an existing/pre-written article…
- Please begin with a “thesis statement” of your argument, including your stance on the issue.
- Include how your piece/idea is relevant at this moment in time, and also how it connects to a deeper theme or idea.
- Include ideas, information, and arguments that you will use to support your stance. This can be brief.
- Tell me why you are qualified to write this piece, along with the personal expertise or experience that you will mention in your writing
- Use your personal voice and tone.
Send your pitch to our Opinion editor at the emails:
Caroline Gould
goulc439@newschool.edu
Features
Welcome to the Features Desk! If you have an idea that delves into unique, engaging, and often personal aspects of life at New School and beyond, we want to hear from you. We cover a wide array of topics including but not limited to human interest stories, in-depth profiles, unique student experiences, etc. If it has a compelling narrative and resonates with our community, it could be a great fit!
Headline: Craft a headline that grabs our attention and succinctly conveys the essence of your story.
Summary: Provide a concise overview of your story. Explain who or what the piece will focus on, the angle or perspective you plan to explore, and why this topic is significant to our readers. Use the 5 Ws (who, what, when, where, and why) as a guide to make your summary comprehensive yet brief.
Sources: Identify the individuals or resources you will need to consult. Are you already in contact with these sources?
Dates: Provide your proposed timeline for submitting a draft. Also, mention any critical dates related to your story, such as upcoming events, deadlines, or significant milestones.
About You: Share some background information about yourself! Highlight your connection to the story’s subject matter and your relevant experience in writing or journalism. This helps us understand your perspective and expertise.
Conflict of Interest: If your pitch involves a subject you’re personally connected to (e.g., a student group you’re part of, an event you’re organizing, or a close friend/relative as a source), please disclose this information.
Remember, if you’re uncertain whether your idea fits our features section, don’t hesitate to pitch it anyway!
Send your pitch to our Features editor at the email below:
Jazmin Estades
estaj581@newschhol.edu
Series
Every NSFP series has something called a DEK, which is a recurring blurb at the top of each series installment reminding the reader what the series is about. This way, no matter what installment your reader comes in on, the series is still accessible to them. So when pitching, please provide a DEK.
Here is an example:
Welcome to Writes & Bites — a monthly series where Creative Writing MFA student Arianna Gundlach reviews a place in New York City you could write at and tackles a writing topic that has been weighing on your mind.
Make sure to include how often you’d like to write (see “monthly series” above). You can do weekly, biweekly (every other week), monthly, or semimonthly (twice a month). If you already know what you want to write about for your first installment, include that as the last sentence of your DEK (This week we’ll be looking at; this week we’ll be visiting; this week we’ll be discussing).
Email pitches to our Series editor at the email below:
Arianna Gundlach
gunda308@newschool.edu
Illustration
Working Headline / Series Title: A title or headline that grabs attention and interests readers.
Description: Provide a summary (a few sentences) of what you plan to cover.
Context: Offer a brief overview on the topic, explaining why it’s relevant or interesting to you.
Desk / Section: Which desk do you think best aligns with your story? (Doesn’t necessarily have to fit into one!)
Length: Approximately how many drawings do you plan to include? Will there be any accompanying text?
Medium: Describe approximately how you plan to execute the idea.
Duration & Timeline: Propose a timeline for when you can deliver the story.
Your Credentials: Include a short bio and any relevant experience or past work.
Send your pitch to our Illustration editor at the email below:
Leo Preston
presl374@newschool.edu
Photo
Working Headline / Series Title: Your headlines should be no more than 10 words.
Description: Provide a summary (2-3 sentences) of what you plan to cover.
Desk / Section: Which section at NSFP do you think best aligns with your story? (i.e. News / Arts & Culture / Features / Opinion / Series)
Length: Approximately how many pictures do you plan to include to tell this story?
Shot List: Describe how you plan to document the event / story you are covering.
Background: Offer a brief background on the topic, especially if it’s not widely covered or if we might not be familiar with it. Highlight the newsworthiness and relevance to our audience. Explain the specifics and why it’s unique or important.
Duration & Timeline: Propose a timeline for when you can deliver the story.
Your Credentials: Include a short bio and any relevant experience or past work that makes you the right person to cover this story.
Send your pitch to our Photo editor at the email below:
Jordan Fong
fongj@newschool.edu
Video
- Working title of film/doc/series:
- A short description: (What does your project hope to accomplish? Why does it matter? Who will you talk to?)
- A sample of what it will look like: (Anything that shows you have a plan, resources, and organization, ex. shot descriptions/shot list, interview subjects, practice shoot, link to inspiration, etc.)
- What form will your project take: (TikTok video, short form documentary, etc.)
- What is the estimated duration of your project?
- What is your estimated time frame – how long will it take to shoot and edit?
For Series Pitches:
- Posting schedule/Dates:
- Reference/Reference Links (if applicable)
Send your pitch to our Video editor at the email below:
Sofia Igoe
sofiaigoe@newschool.edu