Internships
The Raleigh Public Record offers two unpaid news internships per year. Interns will report stories, develop features and have the opportunity to do a series or longer-form magazine article. We are now accepting applications for spring 2015 interns. To apply, please send a cover letter, resume and clips to editor(at)raleighpublicrecord.org.
Freelance Reporters
The Record is always looking for freelance reporters to cover local government, the environment, business and any other stories that go unreported or under-reported in Raleigh. Contact editor(at)raleighpublicrecord.org for more information about becoming a regular contributor. Or see our submission guidelines below.
Submission Guidelines
The Raleigh Public Record operates with the help of freelance journalists. We welcome submissions, under the following guidelines.
Story
- Contact Editor Charles Duncan Pardo with your story pitch. You may reach him at editor {at} raleighpublicrecord.org. All story ideas must be approved before you begin reporting.
- Once completed, email the story to Charles in a Word document. Name your story with DATE_SHORT HEADLINE, i.e. 062311_LIGHTRAIL. That date format is MONTH-DAY-YEAR
- Stories should be fewer than 1,000 words unless otherwise discussed.
- Stories should include a photo or information for a graphic or pullout box. Please include information for the photo credit and caption.
Payment
- Invoices should be sent to the editor on the 10th and 25th of each month. Each invoice should contain: your legal name as you want it written on the check, your mailing address, your phone number and each story headline and date submitted.
- Check with the editor about the pay for your story before submitting your invoice.
- Please note that your payment is for contracted services. No taxes will be taken from the check and you are responsible for filing this income with the IRS. If you are paid more than $600 in a calendar year, we will send you a 1099.
Ethics and Professionalism
- You cannot represent yourself as a reporter for the Raleigh Public Record unless you have been assigned a story specifically for us.
- When working on a story for the Raleigh Public Record, you are expected to present yourself as a professional, dressing appropriately.
- We follow the ethics guidelines from the Society of Professional Journalists and the North Carolina Press Association. Read the entire code.
- If you are recording a phone conversation, you must tell the other party. North Carolina law doesn’t say you have to, but we do.
- We do not use anonymous sources. If a source won’t go on the record, find someone who will.
- You will not report stories if you have a conflict of interest. Please let us know in advance.
