Join the Record’s Freelancer Network

If you are a freelance writer with interesting stories to tell, the Record wants to work with you. Email us at [email protected] with your CV and we will work with you on developing a story and discussing whether the work is best suited as an explainer, a longread, a feature, or something longer. We pay at competitive rates so do not hesitate to contact us if you have an idea brewing!

Check our FAQ page for information on our formats, rates, and more.

Why do we want this?

We understand freelancers’ struggle and as we enter this new membership phase, we want to develop long-term relationships with journalists who have ideas and the drive to execute them. Right from its inception, freelance journalists have helped the Record identify and bring our best stories forward. We value our contributors, and want to ensure that our relationship with our writers is not transactional but one built on the basis of mutual growth. Rather than one-off submissions and commissions, we want to explore ways where we could build on your work and create something bigger. A note on freelancers ethics The Record strives to be as transparent with our readers as possible. In your email pitch to us please specify if the story stems out of a different project (work with an I/NGO, marketing campaign, other institutional affiliation), and other concerns regarding conflicts of interest.

• Seek Truth and Report It: We are in the business of seeking truth, not public relations. Since we are an independent medium, we strictly do not promote advertisements; advertorials will not be accepted at all.  The Record values fairness, meaning all parts of a story should be explored and reported on honestly and accurately as much as possible.
• Consent: It’s the journalist’s duty to disclose that they are reporting on a story to any person they talk to. Ethical consent is a must.
• Avoid Conflict of Interest: The contributor should not profit, or get kickbacks for writing the story that is pitched to us.  Refuse all gifts. The Record provides suitable financial support (link it to the Financial page) to its contributors. If you require further assistance, such as travel, please get in touch with us.
• Plagiarism: All stories must be original. Any borrowed ideas should be duly credited. Claiming someone else’s work as yours is just not cool and will lead to the contributor being blacklisted from The Record.
• Be Accountable and Transparent: Sources and the findings of freelancers should be reliable and investigative. Sources should be named, if they want to remain anonymous, the reason should be explicitly mentioned. We only allow anonymity if the risk to the source is considerable.  

Interested? Write to us at [email protected].