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Floodlight call for IRA freelance reporters

Floodlight is in search of freelancers to produce watchdog stories about the Inflation Reduction Act and its climate-related programs.

Floodlight is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom that investigates the corporations and political interests stalling climate action. We give away our content for free to other news organizations. And we often partner with news outlets including NPR, The Guardian and others.

We are looking for freelancers to pitch 800- to 1,000-ish word stories about programs and spending within the IRA that fall within our mission of exposing the forces stalling climate action. We will pay $1 per word for the published version of the story.

We will only accept pitches with a clear accountability angle. And we will prioritize stories that highlight environmental injustices to vulnerable communities.

These can include but are not limited to:

  • Spending on dubious or unproven technologies such as carbon capture and sequestration;
  • Carbon offset programs that don’t actually result in fewer carbon emissions;
  • Hydrogen projects for which proof of concept is lacking;
  • Programs that incentivize increased use of fossil fuels rather than reduce it;
  • IRA spending that aims to undermine the ongoing efforts by utilities, oil and gas companies and other fossil fuel interests to stall climate action, such as creating incentives for solar development in states where utilities have sought to control or block it;
  • IRA grants that go to companies or entities without a proven track record or resources to achieve the funded activity. (Here’s a good example of that type of story);
  • States that are declining to take climate-related federal money under the IRA and why.

Here are a few examples of IRA stories that would fit our requirements:

To pitch us a story, please fill out this Google form. It will ask for a short description of the story, a copy of your resume or a link to your LinkedIn profile and links to three (3) writing samples. If you have other questions, feel free to reach out to Floodlight Editor-in-chief Dee J. Hall at dee@floodlightnews.org.