FAQ: What You Need To Know To Join the Ocean Reporting Network

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What is the Ocean Reporting Network?

The Ocean Reporting Network (ORN) is a year-long fellowship program that offers the unique opportunity for freelance and staff journalists to pursue an in-depth or investigative ocean story over 12 months. 

Similar to the model of the Center’s Rainforest Investigations Network, the Fellows receive funding, training, and the support of dedicated editors from the Pulitzer Center’s Environmental Investigations Unit. 

Further support from our Engagement team helps the Fellows amplify their stories, engage with their audience, and measure impact. 

Applications open every year around August-September and the fellowship starts in January of the following year.

We encourage applications in English, but we accept materials in other languages if needed.

Apply to join here:
https://pulitzercenter.org/grants-fellowships/opportunities-journalists/apply-join-ocean-reporting-network-orn

FAQs

What are the benefits of being a Fellow? 

* 12 months’ salary and reporting expenses 
* Being part of a network, learning and collaborating together 
* Mentorship, coordination, specialized training, and data support from Pulitzer Center editors
* Opportunities to take your work further though engagement and impact 

Who can participate? Staff or freelance journalists?

Staff and freelance journalists can both participate. For staffers, it’s an opportunity to devote a whole year to in-depth reporting, and for freelancers, it offers the structure of being part of a team. Fellows will work closely with their cohort, benefiting from one another’s skills and diverse perspectives, and must be team players. 

What level of experience is needed?

This is not an entry-level training scheme for aspiring journalists or academics. We are looking for experienced journalists with a proven track record of investigative or in-depth ocean or environmental reporting and a solid understanding of ocean issues. 

How long is the fellowship?

The fellowship lasts a year with the possibility of renewal based on performance, but a very different project must be proposed for the second time, that will develop new skills. 

Should I be exclusively dedicated to the reporting project?

Yes. Fellows are expected to devote a full year to their ocean investigation, to follow a timeline for planning, field reporting and publishing, and to attend regular training and meetings. 

We understand that some freelancers may be finishing other assignments or lining up work towards the end of the fellowship, but it shouldn't interfere or compete with your fellowship work or time.

Do I have to live near a specific ocean to participate?

No. Fellows can be based anywhere in the world, but their project must focus on ocean issues, not freshwater ecosystems (rivers, streams and lakes). 

Can I apply without a letter of support from a media outlet?

No. Regardless of whether you are sending your proposal as a freelancer or as a staff member, a letter of support by the media organization that employs you or has agreed to host you during your fellowship is required. Your application will be rejected if this isn’t provided. The letter must demonstrate that the newsroom understands the project, knows you and your work, and can provide the support necessary throughout the year. It’s not just a case of publishing a few stories. 

The host publication cannot be an academic paper or institutional website; it must be a media outlet. 

Is it possible to send proposals as a team or through my editors?

No. Proposals must be submitted by the Fellowship applicant. After you become a Fellow, it is possible to invite colleagues from your newsroom to join some of the network’s activities.

How detailed should my project proposal be?

Your proposal should demonstrate that you have done substantial pre-reporting on the stories you want to pursue, including hypotheses that guide the work, data sources, and in-depth methodology. We want to see that there is an ambitious, coherent, and realistic reporting plan. 

How much is the salary?

There is no fixed amount. We will determine a reporter's annual salary in a particular country after talking with the Fellow and the Fellow's media outlet and benchmarking it against international standards.

Are there resources to pay for travel?

The fellows will have reporting funds at their disposal to cover travel and other costs that directly support their project. This sum is agreed at the start of each fellowship year and can be managed by the fellow or the newsroom. In previous years, these have been between $8-10K each year. This must be used solely for the reporting (fieldwork costs such as transportation, accommodation, meals, photography, data viz), not the ongoing administrative costs of running a newsroom.

We cannot support the purchase of equipment, only to hire it.

Who is the primary funder of the network?

ORN is funded by the Norwegian Development Aid Agency (NORAD). 

What level of collaboration will take place among the Fellows?

Drawing from the model of collaborative environmental journalism created by the Pulitzer Center’s rainforest initiatives, the ORN is rooted in the principle that collaboration and sharing of data, expertise, and investigative methods result in stronger stories with broader regional and global impact. While each Fellow will pursue their own investigation(s), we envision robust collaboration among the Fellows and occasional cross-border reporting if the opportunity arises. 

What is the Pulitzer Center's role in the editorial process?

The Pulitzer Center will coordinate and support the network, including data and research support, but the Fellows and their outlets will have total editorial independence. Fellows may seek guidance and advice from ORN's editors as needed. 

Is there an age limit?

There is no upper or lower age limit, as long as you are willing to contribute and learn, and have a good project idea and the right experience. You must also have a newsroom that meets our criteria.

Can a journalist apply for the ORN Fellowship and a Global Reporting Grant concurrently? 

You can apply for a fellowship and a grant at the same time, but you wouldn't get supported for both and we'd need to see that the grant project differs significantly from the fellowship.

Are fellows permitted to publish related reporting elsewhere during the fellowship, or is reporting produced through the fellowship expected to appear exclusively with the host newsroom?

Your reporting can be published elsewhere during the course of the fellowship, so long as it carries an ORN credit and the host publication is happy with this.

Will the interview and the main communications with the Pulitzer Center be conducted in another language, or is proficiency in English required?

We don’t want language to be a barrier. We use English as our primary language, but we can conduct the interview in a number of different languages. During the project, we can also provide funding for translation support during meetings.

If you have further questions that have not been answered here, please contact Jessica Aldred at [email protected] or Domenica Montaño at [email protected]