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How to get featured in The Guardian US
Getting featured in The Guardian US: how its US desks choose stories, how to pitch the right department, Guardian Opinion pitch rules, and secure tip channels.
- Website
- theguardian.com
- Owner
- Guardian Media Group (Scott Trust)
- Lead time
- Breaking news: same day. Opinion: news-reactive, often days. Reported features: typically several weeks.
- Last verified
At a glance
Audience. A progressive-leaning, reader-funded US and global audience following politics, climate, technology, inequality, and culture.
- US politics
- Climate and environment
- Technology
- Business and inequality
- Health
- Culture
- Opinion
- Staff reporting
- Guardian US reporters and editors cover politics, climate, tech, business, and culture as part of the Guardian's global newsroom, with story pitches routed to the relevant editorial department.
- Contributed articles
- The Guardian commissions freelance contributors through section commissioning editors, paid at its normal rates; it does not publish contributed brand content.
- Opinion and op-eds
- Guardian Opinion takes pitches by email at the opinion desk address on its contact page and prefers short pitches over fully written pieces; most published pieces respond to recent news.
- Press releases
- Releases are background only. The contact page says story pitches should go to the relevant editorial department.
Pitching The Guardian US, step by step
Identify the US desk or section that covers your story, such as US politics, environment, or tech, and the reporters with recent bylines there.
Pitch the angle that matters to Guardian readers: accountability, climate, labor, inequality, or the social effect of technology.
Send story pitches to the relevant editorial department or reporter, as the contact page directs.
For Opinion, send a short pitch with one idea, a news peg, and why you are the right writer, with a precise subject line.
Use the Guardian's Secure Messaging or SecureDrop only for confidential public interest tips.
How The Guardian US decides what to cover
The Guardian US is the American edition of the Guardian, owned by Guardian Media Group and the Scott Trust, and funded largely by reader contributions rather than a paywall. Its US journalists cover politics, climate, technology, business, health, and culture as part of a global newsroom. Coverage leans toward accountability, the environment, labor, inequality, and the social effects of technology and corporate power.
That editorial lens matters. A company story earns Guardian coverage when it reveals something about those themes, not because of a launch or a funding round.
How to pitch The Guardian US
The Guardian’s contact page says story pitches should be sent to the relevant editorial department, and it lists desk addresses. Better still, find the US reporter whose recent work matches your story and pitch them directly with a short, specific email. Bring evidence, named sources, and a reason the story matters to Guardian readers now.
For confidential, evidence-backed tips, the Guardian recommends its Secure Messaging tool in the Guardian app or its SecureDrop portal.
Contributed articles and op-eds
The Guardian does not publish contributed brand content. Freelance contributions go through the commissioning editor of the relevant section, who may invite a piece on spec; contributors are paid at the Guardian’s normal rates if published.
Guardian Opinion takes pitches by email at the opinion desk address. Its published guidance asks writers not to send fully written pieces, to pitch one idea (two at most), to keep pitches short, to explain why the piece needs to run now, to say why you are the right person to write it, and to use a precise subject line. Most Opinion pieces react to recent news, and the average column runs 700 to 800 words.
Frequently asked questions
Can you pay to be featured in The Guardian US?
No. Editorial coverage and Opinion pieces are editorial decisions. Advertising and sponsored content are sold separately and labeled.
Does The Guardian accept guest posts?
It commissions freelance and Opinion pieces through its editors. It does not run a guest post program for brands.
Who should I pitch at The Guardian US?
The US reporter or editorial department that covers your topic, or the Opinion desk for an argument.
A PR-led approach to the Guardian starts with an honest public interest angle and an executive willing to engage critics. That is how we approach media relations for outlets with a strong editorial lens.
Mistakes that get pitches ignored
- Sending fully written opinion pieces; Guardian Opinion says it rarely publishes pieces written on spec.
- Pitching many ideas in one email; the desk asks for one idea, two at most.
- Using a vague subject line such as column pitch.
- Pitching corporate good news with no accountability or public interest angle.
Keep going
Related outlets
Sources for this profile (3)
- The Guardian: How to contact the Guardian
- The Guardian: How to pitch an article to Guardian Opinion
- The Guardian: Freelance contributors guide
Profiles describe public editorial processes and are reviewed periodically. Digitize is not affiliated with The Guardian US. Spot something out of date? Email [email protected].