Sunday, January 11th 2026
The 51st is a worker-led local news source for D.C. They’re accepting pitches for stories. Their focus areas include:
“- Guides that make living here easier
- Reporting that holds accountable local government, nonprofits, businesses, and other folks in power
- Stories that showcase the people, arts, and organizations that make D.C. an awesome place to live
- Opinion essays from all residents, commenting on the themes listed above”
These topics show up as “news articles, explainers, D.C.-centric features, and columns like Ask A D.C. Native, the Wilson Building Bulletin, Arts and Eats, and Weekend Events.”
They can currently assign 5 freelance stories a month. Rates are $125 to $1,000+ per article. To learn more, refer to this page and this rate sheet.
Tuesday, March 4th 2025
The 51st is a worker-led local news source for D.C. They’re looking for opinion pieces. They want: “clear and concise arguments with obvious local ties, voice-driven writing, and topics that speak to either a timely news even or culturally relevant question (or, engage with existing conversations in a new way.)” According to their rate sheet, they pay $150 for opinion pieces (1,000 words or less). If interested, send your pitches to pitches@51st.news. To learn more about this pitch call, refer to this Bluesky post. To read their general freelance FAQs, refer to this page.
Sunday, January 26th 2025
The 51st is a worker-led local news source for D.C. They always welcome pitches. Their focus areas include:
- “Guides that make living here easier
- Reporting that holds accountable local government, nonprofits, businesses, and other folks in power
- Stories that showcase the people, arts, and organizations that make D.C. an awesome place to live”
Their rates range from $125 to $1,000+ per piece. If interested, send your pitches to pitches@51st.news. To learn more, refer to their cofounder’s post and this page.