The top story in our newsletter each week is an original piece of journalism that aims to set the news agenda for the LGBTQIA+ community every week.
Breaking into news reporting without a portfolio can be tricky; that's what QueerAF is here to help you with.
This scheme is an opportunity for emerging, student and underrepresented queer journalists to get published, receive mentorship, grow their craft and gain renown as a media professional who delivers critical, exclusive journalism.
The brief
Our news and journalism is written in an explainer format. Our stories don't just tell people what the news is - they explain to readers why it's happening.
Afterwards, our audience feels informed, educated and fuelled with knowledge critical for the liberation of LGBTQIA+ communities.
Our newsletter is primarily about what happened in the last week.
This scheme is for unpublished, emerging, student and marginalised LGBTQIA+ journalists who want to investigate, delve into complex news subjects, and break exclusive news.
Here are the three formats we'll accept pitches for. Click on each one to jump to the relevant section.
Exclusive news
Break news, critical for the LGBTQIA+ community for QueerAF.
Pitches for this are often time sensitive, and they should always be offered to us as an exclusive. If it's not for us, we'll let you know so you can find a home for it elsewhere.
We're interested in holding power to account, and using our journalism to enable our community's liberation.
It could be a story about the Health Secretary meeting with parents who've bragged about abusing their Trans+ children.
QueerAF
Perhaps a scoop from a big charity's data set, that exposes £2M in lobbying for harmful conversion practices.
Vic Parsons
It could be with testimonies from parents, who've been sent letters by the NHS warning that if they support their child's transition, they could face safeguarding referrals.
Jamie Wareham
It might even be a transphobic incident by a supermarket that is being suppressed by its corporate affairs team.
Jamie Wareham
Maybe you've been working on an FOI, and want to write about the damning outcome of it:
Jamie Wareham
All of these critical news stories were QueerAF exclusives.
What you'll note about them all is the split between a 'news' section, which is journalistic and fact-based which strikes a balance, covers any nuance and looks at the bigger picture.
They also include a shorter 'analysis' section. In this space, we're looking for your expert analysis and perspective on the story. Opinions here should still be well evidenced, but this is where you can hammer home what people should understand about this story.
Details for exclusive news pitches
- For this commission, we will provide a stipend of £160 - this is designed to cover a day's work at a NUJ digital journalism day rate. If you spend much more than that on the article, you should ask for help.
- The word count is around 700 words. If you need more words for your first draft - that's fine; we'll help you cut it down.
- We recommend you send the pitch with a deadline for us to get back to you, in case you need to offer it elsewhere. As a standard, if we haven't got back to you in 7 days - we encourage you to look for alternatives so your story doesn't lose it's timeliness.
- All other usual QueerAF details are included below
News Features
Unpack complex, policies, changes in law, or big picture issues - that while not as time senstitive, are grounded in current affairs and news
Pitches for these features might not be as time sensitive, but they will be grounded in news and recent developments. They are designed to introduce our audience to complex news stories in a comprehensive, but accessible way.
You could look at a new bill going through parliament, that while widely welcomed by the press and even big LGBTQIA+ charities - actually includes clauses that will harm and suppress freedoms for the queer community, including at Pride:
Vic Parsons
Perhaps you've got a scoop - that doesn't quite justify itself as a full news story. But it is a hook into a bigger picture issue. In this story, the journalist found out about a Trans+ amauter athlete who was forced to come out because of the Supreme Court ruling. The journalist used this as an in to explore privacy issues, as a big picture piece:
QueerAF
It might even be worth looking at a policy that is gaining steam, even if it's not yet solidified. At this stage, features can explore the risks, dangers and rewards that could be ahead - as we have here with reform of the European Court of Human Rights:
Jamie Wareham
What is key is that these features go beyond the headline moments - and widen the lens. They're more focused on the systems involved and to better understand the bigger picture. The intention should be to give people the knowledge they need in order to better understand a changing landscape ahead.
Details for news features
- For this commission, we will provide a stipend of £175 - this is designed to cover a day's work at a NUJ print journalism day rate. If you spend much more than that on the article, you should ask for help.
- The word count is 700-1000 words. If you need more words for your first draft - that's fine; we'll help you cut it down.
- The formatwill require you to do some interviews, research and get original and exclusive quotes - think about this and express how you might go about this in the pitch
- All other usual QueerAF details are included below
Investigations
A scheme primarily designed for LGBTQIA+ journalism students, looking to do work experience over a week. Non students may apply, under the same terms.
Many universities and colleges require journalism students to complete at least a week's worth of work experience, for which they are assessed for their degree.
We have a number of ongoing investigations that often require help, analysis and data tasks for which you can support as work experience.
We also accept pitches for investigations that can be completed in a week's worth of hours, enabling students to apply what they've learned about investigative journalism in their course and put it to the test.
In instances where an investigation leads to you writing the story, we'll also provide a £175 fee, and the retrospective sessions we'd offer any journalist writing for us.
You'll work with the existing QueerAF editorial team, including our lead investigative journalist, on any investigation.
Example of investigations we've published include:
The Gender Clinic Files - a four-part series, that exposed waiting times for Trans+ adult healthcare that was as high as a 224 year wait. It also included detailed interviews and analysis of what it would take to fix the problem
This series, in collaboration with What The Trans?! and Claire's Trans Talks, was covered in outlets all over the UK and became a topic of parliamentary debate.
QueerAF
Details for investigations
- For this work experience, we are flexible on your needs - but look to fufill at least a week's worth of work towards an investigation
- We will provide a stipend of £175 if your work leads you to write up the story you're investigating. We'll always do this, wherever possible.
- The word count is around 1000 words. If you need more words for your first draft - that's fine; we'll help you cut it down.
- The format will require you to do apply a deeply analytical mindset, and generate great evidence to support your hypothesis
- All other usual QueerAF details are included below
Details for all QueerAF article commissions
Ready to pitch? Make sure you understand our approach:
- Every QueerAF commission comes with our unique 'retro' sub-editing session. It's around 30 minutes long and is designed to empower writers to be in control of their work and improve their craft. You'll prepare your first draft before this session, so we can discuss it - but you can ask for help at any point of the process.
- It's best to send over the first draft as a Google Doc if you can.
- Your piece will be featured in the weekly newsletter, with a bio introducing you to the community and directing them to your social media or website so they can follow you (or so other editors can commission you, too!)
- Your feature will also be hosted on our website, so you can send links to potential employers or share them with your friends and followers. If you use Instagram, we can do a collab carousel version with you there, too, if you like.
- Contributors who submit to QueerAF agree to follow our contributor guidelines and the Impress standards code - take particular note of our rules banning the use of generative AI in the writing and creation of content. Any uses for investigations and data analysis should be discussed and are subject to approval.
- Once you’ve been commissioned, come back here and fill out this form to tell us what to include in your bio box.
Who should apply?
This scheme is designed for early talent, emerging and unpublished journalists and creatives. The biggest value we offer is the training and support, and the fee we provide is to cover your time.
We work with all queer creatives, but our focus and priority for this feature are working with underrepresented, marginalised and/or emerging creatives.
This is an evolving definition guided by our members. This non-exhaustive list includes some of the intersectionalities we're interested in hearing pitches from:
Lesbian, Bi+, pansexual, Romantic orientations, Trans, Non-binary, Marginalised genders, Queer, Low-income backgrounds, Migrant backgrounds, Disabled, Neurodivergent, Black, Asian and Racialised communities.
Pitch here
If you haven't yet, have a good read about the details for each different type of pitch on this page, and look at some previous examples.
Then, when you're ready - tell us your pitch.
PS. Do you read our newsletter?
If not, now is a great time to get to know our unique approach to journalism: