Pitches (Pittsburgh)r

Pittsburgh City Paper is a freelancer-friendly alt-weekly with both a print and digital presence, and we take pitches on a rolling basis. We cover hard news, politics, social justice, arts & entertainment, culture, subcultures, food, nightlife, and much more — all with local ties to Pittsburgh. We publish reported pieces, profiles, essays, op-eds, and beyond.

If you’re thinking about pitching us a story, you definitely should. Our pages (and URLs) are your oyster. But there are a handful of things you should keep in mind as you’re generating ideas:

1. They don’t call us “alt” for nothing. We like unexpected stories, unique angles, and colorful characters. If your pitch is dry or is essentially a “topic” (and therefore not a story), it’s probably not for us.

2. Get to know City Paper, and what makes a good City Paper story. The best way to do that is to read us regularly, or at least binge-read us, to get a sense of our tone and perspective. We’re a progressive, thoughtful, sometimes weird, sometimes witty, free-thinking publication that showcases well-crafted, lively prose. Your story should work well in that context.

3. Be aware of what’s been done. If you pitch us a story we’ve already run, that’s not good, but it’s not much better if you pitch us a story that another publication has already run. Make sure you’re pitching something new, or at least pushing a story forward, and/or coming at it from a unique perspective.