Black Squirrel News Contribution Guidelines
Black Squirrel News has three pillars: aggregation of local storytelling; original content that explains why things matter, not just what happened; and news literacy in what we produce and how we educate in our community. We believe people should leave Black Squirrel News better informed, more grounded, and more connected to where they live.
What We’re Looking For (BSN Phase 1)
Black Squirrel News is currently in its Phase 1. Content we’re looking to highlight in Phase 1 includes evergreen content, explainers, Q&As, essays, listicles, event coverage, human & animal interest features, and business and entrepreneur profiles. Evergreen content is timeless content that remains relevant over a long period.
At this time, we see content fitting into these two buckets, but anything meeting the Phase 1 parameters will be considered.
1. Explainers
Explain a topic that people in the community are trying to understand.
Good explainers help answer questions like:
- What is happening with a local issue?
- How does a local system work?
- Why does this matter to residents?
Strong explainers focus on clarity, context, and helping readers understand something important about our community.
2. Profiles
Profiles highlight people or events in our community and help readers understand who they are and what they do, or the value of an event in our community.
Examples might include:
- Community leaders
- Local organizers
- Artists, business owners, educators, or volunteers
- People doing interesting or meaningful work in the community
Good profiles go beyond promotion and aim to tell a story about a person and their connection to the community.
Types of Media We Accept
We welcome multiple forms of storytelling, including:
- Written articles
- Photo essays
- Audio stories
- Short documentaries or videos
- Illustrated or graphic storytelling
- Other creative formats
If you have an idea that doesn’t fit neatly into one format, we’re happy to consider it.
In Phase 1, this is media we won’t accept:
- Advertorials, or promotional pieces
- Press releases
- Opinion pieces
- Critical reviews
- Partisan content
- Crime and justice reporting
- Anonymous sources
Editorial Standards
We’re building BSN to support thoughtful, trustworthy local storytelling. Submissions should aim to:
- Be original work
- Be accurate and fair
- Help readers better understand our community
- Focus on substance rather than opinion
Be prepared to explain how your work was reported; we include a section at the end of each original article for that explanation.
How to Apply
Submit a query to our editorial email at blacksquirrelnews@gmail.com. In addition to your name and contact information, please include a brief bio, what you’d like to contribute, any story ideas that you have, what format you would like to produce the story, and your timeline or capacity to produce this work. Please include examples of your work, if you have them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who should apply?
Everyone who wishes to tell a story about our community. We want to share reporting and stories about Calhoun County, within BSN’s editorial standards. We’re especially interested in perspectives from under-represented communities in Calhoun County.
Will I get paid?
At this early stage, BSN is an all-volunteer project and we are not able to pay contributors yet. We hope to change that in the future as the cooperative grows, but contributors should currently expect their work to be unpaid.
What’s the process after application?
Our editorial committee will schedule brief discussions with the applicant to learn more about the ideas and then will make a decision as a group. Successful creators will be onboarded to our process for publication.
Will you edit my content?
Our editorial committee will work with the creator on edits or revisions before publication.