After reviewing these guidelines, please email pitches and submissions to editorial@progressive.org.
Web articles
The Progressive publishes investigative reporting, pieces on current events from a progressive perspective, and reports on activism and social movements. We also publish pieces on foreign policy as long as there is a strong U.S. angle. We are particularly interested in reported pieces on topics or issues in the United States that have either been ignored or underreported by mainstream media.
How to pitch: We are happy to receive concise pitches, which should include substantiating sources and a reporting plan. We will also consider fully drafted submissions. Web articles are generally between about 700 and 1,100 words, but we can accept pieces that are slightly longer than this.
Please check all facts and figures for accuracy and include links to sources over relevant verbs or nouns in the text of your article. Primary sources are preferred when possible, but links to news articles are acceptable as well.
The ideal time for pitching or submitting a book or film review is several weeks before the publication or release date. Pitches related to a scheduled event date should be submitted at least two weeks before the event (this would include anniversaries, history months, pride months, etc.).
If you have images to go with the article (photos, infographics, illustrations, etc), please include them or let us know they are available.
Progressive Perspectives op-eds
Progressive Perspectives, formerly the Progressive Media Project, was launched in 1993 to help diversify and democratize our nation’s op-ed pages. We publish op-eds on our website and they are distributed nationally by the Tribune News Service and are regularly picked up by news outlets ranging from small local newspapers to internationally read websites. Our goal is to support voices that are underrepresented in the mainstream media. We provide writers with statistics about the news outlets that have published their op-ed.
How to pitch: Please send a pitch outlining your topic and argument, or a completed submission. Op-eds are generally between about 600 and 700 words and should be of national interest. Op-ed writers typically are not paid for their pieces. See our op-ed writing advice here.
Public Schools Advocate
Public Schools Advocate is a project of The Progressive magazine that delivers timely and authoritative news and commentary on the state of the nation’s K-12 public education system that is critical to our economic future and the health of our democracy. PSA writers are teachers, advocates, activists, thinkers, and others in the progressive education movement.
Our goal is not only to inform the public about the threats to public education, but also to spotlight the work of leading education thinkers, the teacher- and citizen-led grassroots movement to defend public schools, and the education practices, such as community schools, that are fulfilling the promise of public education.
How to pitch: We will consider concise pitches or fully drafted submissions.
Print magazine
The Progressive publishes a bimonthly print magazine to a readership of thousands of subscribers. The magazine features a number of recurring columns, but we search for reported features, investigative pieces, book reviews, one interview, one personal essay, and one photo essay for each issue.
How to pitch: Print articles are generally one page (about 650 words), two pages (around 1,500), three pages (1,900, to make room for art), or four pages (2,400), depending on the topic.
What to expect from us
The Progressive will edit submissions for style, length, clarity, fairness, and accuracy. We may return a draft for additional work; we will share any significant changes with the author prior to publication whenever possible. There may be occasions where minor trims must be made for layout reasons on a timeline that does not allow consultation.
If you have any further questions, please email editorial@progressive.org.