25 News Publications Paying for Solutions Journalism

Today, we’ve compiled a list of publications that pay for solutions focused journalism.

We’ve researched payment rates and contact information for these publishers, so you can easily contact the right editor.

This is curated from our members-only database of publishers, which includes 2,000+ publishers. If you want full access to the database, be sure to become a paid Litworth subscriber.

For those interested in learning more about solutions journalism, I highly encourage you to take a look at the Solutions Journalism Network. The website has many resources, as well as a very comprehensive directory of published stories, which serves as a valuable resource for finding publications that may be worth pitching. If you’d like to learn more about solutions journalism, they have a free two hour course here.

1. Reasons To Be Cheerful publishes “stories of real solutions — successful endeavors to create marked changes that are improving the world today.” They want “surprising, unique, and under-the-radar stories” with “broad appeal.” Word length varies, from concise articles (600 to 800 words) to lengthier ones (1,000 to 2,500) words. Pay rates are not clear. To learn more, visit this page.
2. The Emancipator is a news publication focused on exploring solutions to racial inequality. They seek to “reframe conversations on racial inequity and accountability through evidence-based commentary, first-person essays, untold histories, and narrative features.” According to their pitching guidelines, they pay $400 for essays, histories, and first-person experiences, and $1000 for reported features.  To learn more, read their pitching guidelines page.
3. The Wire China is a weekly news publication focused on understanding and explaining China’s economic rise, and its influence on global business, finance, trade, labor and the environment. They accept pitches for cover stories. They want big stories that give answers — and solutions. They list pay as “very competitive”, which presumably means they pay at least $1 per word, if not significantly more. To learn more, read their pitching guidelines.
4. Hothouse is a climate focused newsletter that publishes investigative reporting about climate solutions. They pay 50 cents per word. They’re relatively new, but they have backing from Columbia University, the Solutions Journalism Network, and the Google News Initiative. To learn more and to pitch them, read this page.
5. Prism is a nonprofit that is working in tandem with Daily Kos. They elevate “stories, ideas, and solutions from leaders, thinkers, and activists whose voices are critical to a reflective democracy.” They are seeking pitches for articles, essays, and op-eds. They pay 50 cents per word.  To learn more, refer to this Twitter post and their call for pitches.
6. Audubon publishes journalism, photography, and illustrations to “to celebrate the joy and wonder of birds and to inform its readers about the natural world, inspire them to care passionately about that world, and motivate them to take action on its behalf.” They prefer freelancers to write articles up to 1,200 words. They pay $0.50 to $1.50 per word. They particularly like if there’s a “solutions” element. To learn more, read their pitching guide here.
7. Nexus Media News is a nonprofit news service dedicated to climate change. They are always seeking pieces on how communities across the United States are responding to the climate crisis. They are especially interested in solutions-oriented stories centering on frontline and BIPOC communities. Their rates start at $500 for reported features (1,000 to 1,200 words) and single-subject profiles. For details, read their pitch guide.