Statewatch publishes news, analyses, translations and statements about democracy, civil liberties, personal and political rights, free movement, freedom of information, equality and diversity in Europe and the UK.
We encourage submissions from both new and seasoned contributors. Please take the time to read through these submission guidelines before sending your work to us.
Please send us a pitch for your article before writing the full draft. Do not send us full length articles unless agreed on with our editorial team beforehand. Details of how to contact us are below.
We accept the following types of contributions:
News articles (200-1,500 words)
News articles can be based on:
- first-hand reporting;
- reports published by NGOs, government bodies or other organisations;
- write-ups of campaigns, protests or other actions;
- write-ups of statements or announcements (e.g. by a campaign group);
- write-ups of academic work;
- official documentation;
- official speeches; or
- book reviews.
- News articles should report facts and other peoples’ opinions, but not the author’s own opinions.
Analyses (1,000 – 10,000 words)
Analyses should take an in-depth look at an issue or situation. An analysis should provide the author’s opinion on the topic in question, as long as that opinion is backed up by evidence.
Please bear in mind that the longer your contribution, the longer it will take us to consider it for publication.
Translations
We welcome translations of our work into languages other than English for us to publish. If you wish to publish our work in another language on an external site, please reach out to comms@statewatch.org.
We also welcome translations of external work into English, as long as permission has been granted by the original author/publisher (where necessary).
General notes on writing style
- Use clear, direct language that can be understood by a general audience. Our content should be accessible to readers with a secondary school reading age level, but interesting enough to engage people with subject expertise.
- Use British spelling.
- Back information up with source material – make sure to link to reliable, trusted sources (i.e. reputable news sites, official organisational or state websites).
- Include sources in hyperlinked text, not academic references.
- Use active voice (i.e. ‘the UK government passed a law’) rather than passive voice (i.e. ‘a law was passed’) to emphasise accountability.
- Take the time to consider any critiques of the narrative you are presenting.
- Avoid language that centres dominant groups where possible (i.e. ‘third country nationals’).
- Avoid ableist language. Common examples of this are ‘standing up to power’ or ‘turning a blind eye’.
- Avoid violence-related language. Common examples of this are ‘on the front lines of the fight’ or ‘armed with the facts’.
How to pitch us
Please send us a brief pitch/ description of the article you would like to write, in no more than 300 words. This should include:
- A short bio, including your expertise on the subject
- Any existing articles or research on the story you want to write about
- Whether the pitch is time-sensitive
- A suggested headline
Send to editorial@statewatch.org. We’ll aim to get back to you as soon as possible.
If you would like to work with us on a more regular basis, we welcome applications for contributors across a range of roles.
