25 Newspapers that Work with Freelance Writers

Here’s our latest research — a list of newspapers that accept submissions from freelance writers.

We’ve researched payment rates, pitch guidelines, and more, to help you connect with the right editor.

If you want to browse even more opportunities, be sure to check out our database of over 1,500 publishers that pay writers. It’s easily searchable, and includes thousands of listings just like the ones below.

If you’re new to freelancing, I also very much encourage you to take our course on pitching. You can get the details here.

1. The Leicester Gazette is a not-for-profit local newspaper in Leicester. They’re seeking “investigations, solutions-focused features, news features, human-interest stories, arts and culture features, history features, voices (comment/opinion), photo essays, podcasts, fiction and poetry, and much more!” As they’re a local newspaper, the pieces should be about Leicester. According to their commissioning policy, they pay £75 to £300. To learn more, refer to this page.

1. The New York Amsterdam News is NYC’s oldest Black newspaper. They’re primarily, but not exclusively, seeking New York based freelancers to cover the following areas: general assignment, public safety, religion/church, education, environment, arts, photography. According to their pitch guide, they pay $80/story and $30/photograph. To learn more, refer to this page.

1. Pittsburgh City Paper is an alternative newspaper that covers news, restaurants, food, culture, arts, and entertainment in Pittsburgh. They publish reported pieces, profiles, essays, op-eds, etc. According to their pitch guide, rates range from $250 to $750.

1. The North Coast Journal (of Politics, People and Art) is a newspaper published in Humboldt County, CA. Its editors do not want “straight hard news articles, inverted pyramids” – they look for articles “that people want to read simply for the pleasure of reading.” Editors want this publication “to tell the story of Humboldt County, one chapter at a time” through features – narratives, reported essays, and experimental writing. They previously indicated payment as $300-400 for cover stories (3,000-4,000 words) and $100-150 for upfront stories (1,000-1,500 words). Current rates are not clear. To learn more, refer to their writers’ guidelines.

1. Chicago Reader is Chicago’s largest weekly newspaper. They are mostly staff written, but they welcome submissions of narrative features, neighborhood news stories, criticism, videos, and audio works that come from freelance contributors. According to their guidelines, payments start at $75 for short pieces and reviews and range between 100-400 for features and essays. To learn more, refer to their submission guidelines.

1. Washington City Paper is a source for local news for D.C. natives and newcomers. Stories should be about the city and its surroundings, and narratives with a conflict of some sort at the center are preferred. They publish a variety of journalistic genres, including profiles, investigative pieces, polemical essays, stories about local institutions, and an occasional first person narrative. They have news, arts and food departments that accept shorter pieces, an arts blog, and reviews. No op-ed pieces or ‘service journalism’. The word count is 2,500-5,000 for cover stories; 900-2,000 for departments; 500-2,000 for reviews; 150-250 for City Lights. Pay rates are not mentioned, but according to a payment report, they paid $0.19 per word for a 800-word profile or interview. Details here.

1. The Londoner is London’s new quality newspaper. They’re looking for pitches that are engrossing and fun to read. According to their pitch guide, they pay around £300 for quick-hits and about £500 for pieces that are more reported. They have the budget to pay significantly more for highly investigative stories that take months of work. They also pay reporting expenses if they’re agreed in advance. To learn more, refer to this page.

1. The Advocate is a newspaper for the students, faculty, and staff of the Graduate Center (GC), City University of New York (CUNY). They accept articles, reviews, photos, and illustrations from the students, faculty, and staff of CUNY as well as those who are not affiliated with CUNY. They accept articles on a wide range of topics including GC/CUNY issues; first-person essays; politics, culture, and art; nontechnical articles on science and technology; provocative or polemical essays on international, national, and local issues; interviews and transcribed discussions or debates; and book, film, theater, music, and art reviews. According to their guidelines, payment usually starts at $100 and caps at $300. To learn more, refer to this page.