Thank you for your interest in writing for The Kansas City Defender.
For press releases and all other inquiries, please visit our Contact Us page.
Please use the following page as a reference for how to get your words on our site. We welcome submissions from writers at any age or level–as well as photographers, videographers, artists, or any others looking to contribute to our growing publication.
Before you submit, we strongly suggest you familiarize with our submission guidelines. Any submission that does not follow our guidelines will be rejected. We’re looking for any stories that would appeal to our Black midwestern readership–note that this does not necessarily mean your story must be framed in the Midwest or Kansas City.
All submissions are compensated at a sliding scale rate of $50-$300+. Final compensation rate is determined by word count, subject matter, and proximity to issues discussed.
What to know about submitting a potential story
The Kansas City Defender is currently accepting pitches for potential one-off stories or investigations; or final-draft submissions to our site. We especially encourage new or junior writers to pitch before submitting a final draft to ensure your work is a fit for our audience.
Please take note of the following:
- We only take original submissions. Do not send your piece to multiple outlets, including ours, at once. If you’d like to have your piece collaboratively published with other outlets, you can let us know on the submission form.
- We do not take letters to the editor, rebuttals or unsubstantiated opinion pieces. Please save your rants for The Kansas City Star’s editorial team. We’re looking for deeply thoughtful, well-researched pieces that call attention to the most pressing issues of our time.
- Your submission must adhere to our abolitionist language guide (more below). News and media have a grand impact on the public’s perception and knowledge of Black issues–and when put in the wrong hands, we can see it’s ravaging effects on our population. Ensure your submission adheres to our language guide so that our publication can continue pushing the needle forward on revolutionary reporting.
The Kansas City Defender’s Abolitionist Language Guide
The Kansas City Defender is an abolitionist organization.
Abolish, in its base definition, means to put a formal end to a system, practice or institution. You may have heard of this word in conjunction with reference to the Atlantic Slave Trade and the turn of the 19th Century–calling for the end of slavery.
Today, abolition is still a means of ending modern-day slavery. Many of the stories we deal with cover topics like policing, the prison industrial complex, crime v. harm, etc.; it is through Abolition we seek to create a brighter future for Black Kansas Citians and beyond by putting an end to these institutions.
Of the same token, our reporting follows a rigorous standard we’ve developed through intense research + community surveying that we expect our submissions to abide by.
Check these out below.
Tenets of our Editorial Coverage
Prioritize Context: Abolitionist journalism focuses on the systemic issues and underlying structures behind the events. Ensure that stories and narratives, particularly about protests and civil actions, provide historical context and insights into the reasons and goals behind them.
Active Voice Over Passive: Be clear and specific in your storytelling. Avoid passive voice and vague phrases. For instance, use a headline like “Police Murder Black Man” instead of a more passive phrase like “Man Dies in Officer-Involved Shooting.”
Fact-Checking and Community Voices: Question official narratives and fact-check all information. Prioritize community voices and lived experiences over police narratives to ensure a balanced story.
Harm Over Crime: We use the term “harm” rather than “crime” to challenge the racially and gender-encoded implications often associated with crime. Recognize that the term “crime” disproportionately targets Black people and perpetuates harmful stereotypes.
Police Representation: We refer to police as “cops” or “police” rather than “officials” or “law enforcement”. Our reporting doesn’t reinforce the police as the arbiters of truth or safety.
Active Listening: Listen to Black voices and take their criticism seriously. They’re the most affected by the issues we report on, and their insights are invaluable in challenging racism and promoting solidarity.
Authority Contextualization: When quoting government or corporate entities, provide a disclaimer to remind readers of the potential for misinformation. For instance: “Police have been shown to regularly lie, cover up murders, and provide false statements to the media in order to mislead the public.”
Public Safety Reporting: We refrain from using the term “Criminal Justice” due to its association with a system that is often racist and violent, and doesn’t necessarily serve justice. When reporting on issues related to this system, provide context that critically examines its impact and effectiveness.
Humanizing Language: Always use language that upholds the humanity and dignity of the people we report on. Avoid derogatory terms, stereotypes, and dehumanizing language.
Abolitionist Lens: Abolition is not only about dismantling harmful systems but also about envisioning and creating a better world. Ensure your stories highlight solutions, resilience, and community efforts to build a more equitable society.
Intentionally pushback against journalistic norms: Journal codes and standards were set by white men in the 1900’s––coining the idea that ‘journalistic integrity’ means being objective and detached from community. We challenge this idea and encourage our writers to use writing as a tool for liberation.
Be creative: Probably the most important tenet on this list––while abolition is partly about destroying racist structures, it is also about building. Use writing as a tool to imagine brighter, Black-forward futures.
Language Tips
Personhood Over Labels: We use “people who have caused harm” or “person who is incarcerated” instead of “criminals”. This language choice affirms their humanity first and foremost. It also allows us to challenge the societal structures that push individuals towards harmful behavior, rather than casting them off as irredeemable “criminals”.
Challenging Systems: Use language that critically examines systemic structures. Instead of “justice system,” consider “legal system” or “punitive system” which more accurately reflect its functions and impacts.
Police Terminology: Refer to police as “cops” or “police,” not “officers” or “law enforcement”. This avoids language that may imply an inherent authority or legitimacy.
Resist Stereotypes: When reporting on communities, particularly Black and marginalized communities, avoid language that perpetuates harmful stereotypes. Always approach these communities with respect and nuance.
Our coverage is greatest when we…
Amplify Criminalized Journalists: Prioritize and uplift the voices of journalists who have been criminalized or silenced due to their work or their identity. Their unique insights and experiences bring valuable perspectives to our reporting.
Challenge Copaganda: Actively debunk the glorified image of police propagated by pop culture and police organizations. Highlight the contradictions between this image and the numerous accounts and evidence of police misconduct and violence.
Center Victims: When reporting on harm, center the experiences and voices of the victims. This provides a more empathetic and humanized view of the effects of harm.
Report Resistance: Emphasize and celebrate instances of resistance, resilience, and community action. This showcases the strength of the communities we serve and helps inspire and inform others.
Ready to submit your story?
Please use the following form to submit a potential story idea or final draft as a commentable Google Docs link (preferred), .doc or .pdf format. For first-time writers at The Kansas City Defender, we strongly recommended submitting a pitch before completing a final draft of your article.
Pitchers:
Please submit a 200-word pitch about your potential story idea, as well as relevant information the form asks you to. If your pitch is approved for our site, we will schedule a meeting with you to discuss proposed release date and how to best support you.
Final drafters:
Please submit a 750 – 1500 word story. Please send final drafts only. Our staff is small and revisions are time-consuming.
Some formatting guidelines:
- Embedding any external links is preferred. If you must cite, please use Chicago style.
- Don’t indent paragraphs.
- Spell out dates, do not use phrasing like “today,” “tomorrow,” “this week,” etc.
- For any associated images, if your pitch or draft is approved, we will reach out to you about insertion and associated captioning.
Want to be pinged about future writing opportunities?
Join The Kansas City Defender through our Editorial Network! We regularly put out calls for topics we need written about in our community. Enter your information below so you can get pinged for writing opportunities based on your interest.