BRUSSELS - This webinar pulls back the curtain on what editors actually look for when evaluating environmental story ideas.
Editors play a decisive role in shaping which environmental investigations move forward and get published, yet their expectations are often opaque to reporters. In this session you will learn how editors assess pitches, what signals for them a strong investigative idea, and why some proposals advance while others stall.
Drawing on the experience of several outlets, the session offers advice on pitching accountability-driven environmental investigations. Participants will learn how to sharpen their story angles and align their proposals with editorial priorities.
To make guidance as concrete as possible, we also offered the participants an option to submit their own pitch to get feedback on it. However, be aware that the second part of the session when the speakers discussed those pitches, was not recorded for privacy reasons.
Speakers:
- Maria Mast, Science Reporter & Editor, Die Zeit
- Teresa Guerrero Fernández, Science Editor, El Mundo
- Erik Hoffner, senior editor, Mongabay
The discussion was moderated by Anna Koens, Impact and Outreach manager for the Earth investigations programme (see the list of investigations supported by this grant programme) – unfortunately, Juliana Ruhfus, who was previously expected to moderate, could not join us due to unforeseen circumstances.
Journalismfund also prepared a tip-sheet drawing on what has been discussed in this session, you can download it here.
