Real news wanted
Orato is a news site founded by Sam Yehia focused on the ‘concept that the verifiable truth in the dissemination of news and information is critical to open and free democracy’. The mission of Orato is to give people anywhere in the world, without prejudice or discrimination, a safe and open platform in which their voice can be heard.
The site seeks to provide first-person stories, verified factual and eyewitness accounts of world events and experiences that reduce divides and bring people closer to each other through knowledge, understanding, and truth. It aims to eliminate fake news and take ownership of that which is real, verifiable, sound, honest, and legitimate.
The editorial team are looking for freelancers who can reach out to those who have experienced life-altering or ground-shaking events to deliver first-person narratives which feature a ‘crystallising moment’ and an emotional anchor that drives the story. No memoir type pitches. Recent stories have included, ‘UK emigrant overcomes language barrier to win major literary prize’, ‘Argentine doctor travels to help refugees at hospital near Ukraine border’, ‘Searching for sustainability at sea: a sailboat adventure inspires a dream to deplastify the world’ and ‘Arizona photographer chases storms to capture nature and honor homeland’. Orato has a strong focus on South American stories and publishes stories in Spanish as well as English.
If your idea is accepted by an editor, you will be asked to complete a short freelance assessment form to confirm your qualifications. If commissioned you will be responsible for fact-checking, researching, confirming the identity of interview subjects, writing the story draft, and providing any required multimedia assets (such as photographs, video, and/or audio clips).
Payment is by negotiation, starting at a minimum of $100. Send your pitch via the form at https://orato. world/pitch-stories/ in one of these categories: Arts & Culture, Conflict, Crime & Corruption, Education, Environment, Health, Immigration, Policing, Racism, Science & Tech, Sex & Gender, Sports, Travel & Adventure, Viruses, Visionaries, Whistleblowers.
Also read the Become a Contributor guide at https:// orato.world/become-a-contributor/ for much more information.