SUBMISSION GUIDELINES FOR CONTRIBUTING/FREELANCE WRITERS

Telephone:800-929-1418

Email: lpinder@thetakeactionnetwork.com

Your Voice, Your Baltimore

Thank you for expressing interest in volunteering as a contributingwriter for Tubman City News.

A free, bi-weekly, online newspaper - Tubman City News - providesBaltimore residents a voice and venue to share their perspective from aChristian lens about what's going on in and around Baltimore. Newsstories in Tubman City News will inspire and challenge readers tothink outside the box and to be the change they want to see inBaltimore.

Submission Details:

News Articles in Tubman City News come in a variety of forms andformats including, but not limited to, profiles, investigative pieces,features/public interest articles, narratives, commentaries/editorials,as well as photo essays, mini-documentaries, and illustrations/graphicstorytelling. Whatever type of article you choose to submit, it shouldbe an original – meaning the article was written by you and it has yetto be published in any other print medium (i.e. newspaper, Internetblog, book, journal, textbook.)

You need to provide the proper citation of sources in your articles. Forexample, if you include quotes or statements that you did not make in

2www.tubmancitynews.com

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in your article, you need to list the name of the person and/or document where you found the quote and/or statement. TubmanCity News has a strong policy against plagiarism. If it is determined that you plagiarized an article that you submitted forpublication in Tubman City News, you will be terminated as a contributing/freelance writer with Tubman City News and unableto submit articles for publication in Tubman City News.

Profiles, investigative pieces, feature/public interact articles and commentaries/editorials usually range from 1,000 to 3,500words, while shorter pieces run about 350-500 words. You do not have to have writing and/or reporting experience to write forTubman City News, but you do need to have a love for Baltimore, a desire to report empowering news, and the desire to improveand/or enhance your journalism skills.

All article submissions should include 4-5 photos saved as .jpeg files. Please use your smartphones to capture photos. You might also ask the person you are interviewing to forward you photos relevant to the focus of your articles. Writers with stories that lend themselves to video may be asked to take their own footage via smartphones.

Writing Guidelines:

1. Investigative pieces, feature/public interest and profiles should be written in the third person. Commentaries/Editorials, narratives, and other Op-Ed pieces can be written in fist person.

2. Profiles, investigative pieces, feature/public interact articles and commentaries/editorials usually range from 1,000 to 3,500 words, while shorter pieces run about 350-500 words.

3. Type your submission using size 12, black, Georgia font.4. Your name, telephone number and email address should be included at the top of your article.5. You can email submissions to lpinder@thetakeactionnetwork as .doc files (articles) and .jpeg files (photos). 6. If you are invited to submit bi-weekly or month articles, you should submit articles using the “Submit Article” tab on

wwww.tubmancitynews.com.

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All articles submitted to Tubman City News become the property of Tubman City News and Tubman City News will own thecopyright on all articles it publishes. Tubman City News is produced by TAKE ACTION! Publishing, a subsidiary of Create-A-Book Baltimore.

Although this is a volunteer position, all contributing/freelance writers must forward a resume and three (3) professionalreferences within fourteen (14) days of your submission via any of the following formats:

Email:lpinder@thetakeactionnetwork.com

Fax:(888) 634-0449

U.S. Postage MailTubman City News c/o

Lynn PinderP.O. Box 1591

Baltimore, MD 21203

Additionally, contributing/freelance writers must agree to sign a (1) Release of Liability Statement; (2) Photo Release Statement, and (3) Excellence in Journalism Statement before your article can be published in an edition of Tubman City News. Writers under the age of 18, must also submit a Parent Permission Form.

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Professional Development (PD) Requirements:

(1) Please watch this short video:

http://www.slideshare.net/mmcdonald2/how-to-write-a-newspaper-article-21931769?related=1

It provides some basic information on how to write effective newspaper articles.

(2) Please visit this website for more information about the AP News Values & Principles that you will be expected to follow as a Tubman City News Contributing/Freelance Writer:

http://www.ap.org/company/News-Values--

(3) Please watch this video for more details regarding AP Style:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEoZNJ_KGbg

AP stands for Associated Press and it is the guidebook that professional reporters use to write news articles. Tubman City News will utilize AP Style formatting in its articles.

As a contributing/freelance writer with Tubman City News, you will be asked to participate in various types of professional development opportunities (PD) to help you enhance and/or improve your writing and/or reporting skills. It is expected thatyou will make an effort to participate in these PD opportunities if you plan to continue submitting articles for print in Tubman City News.