Home for new ideas
The Progress Network describes itself as ‘an idea movement that speaks to a better future in a world dominated by voices that suggest a worse one.’ The Network, which includes many notable writers, academics, scientists and journalists, such as David Bornstein, Thomas Friedman, Steven Pinker and Fareed Zakaria, notes that we live in a time marked by pessimism and are battered daily by negative headlines. Against this, the Progress Network ‘connects and amplifies those voices that are pointing our world in a more positive direction, providing a template for a stable and sustainable future… united in their conviction that humanity’s ingenuity and willingness to cooperate for the common good is ultimately more potent than forces pulling in the other direction’.
Founder Zachary Karabell and executive director Emma Varvaloucas and their team are looking for pitches for substantive good news (no adorable pet rescues), solutions journalism, constructive opinions on current affairs (particularly if counterintuitive to mainstream news), and progress-orientated takes on historical, psychological, philosophical, and cultural themes. They would like to hear about success stories the world should know about, underreported but useful research, and ‘views that should be considered more often than they are if we are to create a better future together’.
They want long and short form reported articles, opinion essays, think pieces, interviews, book, exhibit and other reviews, and even listicles. Note that the Progress Network is nonpartisan and accepts views and arguments from across the political spectrum, and are not usually interested in pitches for purely political pieces.
Recent articles have included a look at the Philippines banning child marriage, a just-discovered coral reef untouched by climate change, a zero-waste way to use non-recyclable plastic, and progress towards reducing prescription drugs prices in the US.
If you’d like to write for the Progress Network send a short pitch with links to clips or a short bio that explains why you are the writer for this piece to hello@theprogressnetwork.org. You are welcome to send already written pieces if they have not been previously published. Get an idea of the sort of stories published at https://theprogressnetwork.org/articles/ and check the full guidelines at https://theprogressnetwork.org/submissionguidelines/ Payment ranges from $100 for a listicle to $1,000 for a long reported feature.