Emerging Reporter Fellowship

About the Fellowship

The Emerging Reporter Fellowship is an ongoing, rolling fellowship with The Parlor Magazine, an independent feminist cultural and political publication covering the intersections of identity, power, land, and community. We are an early-stage, volunteer-led publication fiscally sponsored by The Tiny News Collective. No one on our team draws a salary; proceeds from subscriptions and sales are reinvested into reporting and the fellowship, which is funded through grants and donations.

This is a learning experience designed to teach you how a real newsroom works—from pitch to publication—with mentorship at every stage. Fellows join our global network of community journalists and become part of a collaborative digital newsroom.

Responsibilities

• Pitch and develop your own stories with full editorial mentorship
• Participate in monthly writers room sessions to discuss story ideas, set timelines, and build collaborations
• Learn how to develop a source list and conduct outreach
• Complete structured learning workshops and access free learning opportunities from partner networks
• Report on stories that matter within communities you know and trust

Who We're Looking For

• Emerging journalists, writers, and storytellers who report from within their communities—proximity and trust matter as much as writing ability
• Individuals interested in journalism that names harm, interrogates power, and centers community voices
• Alignment with anticolonial, intersectional feminist values
• Willingness to pitch independently and take editorial feedback seriously
• No formal journalism experience required—we will teach you

Story Focus Areas

• Land rights, displacement, and environmental justice
• Community resistance and organizing—grassroots movements and alternatives outside mainstream visibility
• Colonialism as a present-tense reality—housing, borders, language, identity, and persistent structures
• Women, queer, and marginalized voices in political struggle—as protagonists and organizers, not victims
• Alternative community wealth building—cooperatives, small businesses, and economic models emerging from communities
• Culture as survival—the politics of art, music, literature, and food in communities holding themselves together

Support You'll Receive

• Extensive one-on-one editorial mentorship from the founding team at every stage
• Structured learning workshops and curriculum to build reporting skills
• Legal support for reporting where needed
• Help building a source list and making outreach
• Editing and peer editing, including structured feedback from other fellows
• Institutional backing of The Parlor, an internationally distributed feminist publication

Story Development Costs

Where reporting has necessary costs, we cover them on a case-by-case basis. Support may include:

• Travel and local transport for in-person reporting
• Translation and interpretation
• Records and public information request fees
• Tools tied to specific reporting needs (e.g., transcription services)

Costs are discussed and approved in advance; fellows never carry out-of-pocket expenses for required reporting.

Compensation

The Emerging Reporter Fellowship is an unpaid learning experience. It is designed to provide:

• Hands-on training in how a working newsroom develops and publishes stories
• Structured learning workshops and curriculum, plus free access to partner learning opportunities
• Extensive one-on-one editorial mentorship from the founding team
• Industry networking opportunities and introductions
• A collaborative newsroom experience typically unavailable until later in a journalism career
• Bylines in a publication aligned with the communities you report on

College Credit

This fellowship may be eligible for college credit on a case-by-case basis. If you are a student, contact your school’s academic department to determine requirements. We are glad to complete any necessary paperwork or supervision agreements.