Guide: How to Pitch, Report, and Get Paid by The Markup (Data + Investigations)

If you can summarize The Markup’s mission in one line, you can judge whether your idea fits. Try this:

• They investigate how technology is used by powerful institutions.
• They explain impacts on people, communities, rights, money, and safety.
• They show evidence (data, documents, method) so readers can verify.

Practice: write your own version of the mission in your notebook — then compare with the About page.

If your idea looks like these, it will probably fail:

• Product reviews, affiliate lists, or “best tools” posts.
• Personal diaries with no evidence or reporting.
• Opinion pieces that don’t investigate facts.
• Press releases rewritten as “news.”
• SEO-only posts written to rank, not to reveal truth.

You can still earn money with those formats elsewhere, but not in The Markup’s core mission.

• Investigation: “We found evidence that X system causes Y harm.”
• Explainer with reporting: “Here’s how X works, who benefits, and who is harmed.”
• Data story: “We built a dataset to measure X and discovered Y pattern.”
• Accountability profile: “A company/agency says X, but documents and data show Y.”
• Community impact story: “Here’s how a policy/algorithm affects a specific group.”

Most strong Markup pitches are combinations: a human story + a system + a method.

A “tool” pitch is not: “I built an app.” It is:

• A public-interest problem that needs measurement or testing.
• A method users can run themselves (like checking tracking).
• A plan to explain results without harming people’s privacy.

Study the tools pages and ask: “What would readers do with this? What action does it enable?”

• Data sources: where your numbers came from (links, documents, FOIA, APIs).
• Method notes: how you collected, cleaned, and analyzed.
• Limits: what you cannot know, and what could be wrong.
• Repro steps: enough detail that someone else could repeat it.

Study their Show Your Work posts to see how they explain process.

You can create a mini evidence pack in 1–3 days:

• 10–30 screenshots with time/date and what they show.
• Public documents (PDFs), with the key lines highlighted.
• A tiny dataset (even 50 rows) with columns explained.
• A list of sources to interview, plus their roles.

When you attach or link this in a pitch, it signals “I can do the work.”

• Week 1: read 6 Markup stories + 2 Show Your Work posts; take structure notes.
• Week 2: do one small investigation: collect documents + screenshots; draft outline.
• Week 3: interview 2 people (one affected, one expert); write first draft.
• Week 4: publish your sample; create a “methods” appendix (even short).

After 30 days, you can pitch a similar but deeper story.

• Question design: asking the right, testable question.
• Source care: building trust, protecting identities when needed.
• Data basics: spreadsheets, filtering, simple charts (not advanced ML).
• Verification: checking claims and avoiding overstatement.
• Clear writing: short paragraphs, definitions, human examples.

You can learn everything above through practice and good editing.

• Inside The Markup (announcements, calls, process notes)
• Show Your Work (methods + bylines)
• Team page (beats, bios, contact patterns)
• Jobs (staff roles; sometimes fellowships)
• Newsletters (calls can appear here)

The tips page is for sensitive information. It explicitly says not to use tip channels for pitches or press releases.

• Pitches: send to the call email or relevant reporter/editor.
• Tips/leaks: use the tips page channels if needed.

• Never pressure sources. Explain “on the record” clearly before you start.
• For vulnerable groups, assess whether identification creates risk.
• Use calm questions: “What happened?” then “What changed after?”

For sensitive communication, learn the options on Have a Tip?.

• Save every document with date + source URL.
• Take screenshots with context (page + time + language).
• Keep a research log (what you checked, what you found, what failed).
• Separate “verified” and “unverified” notes.

• Get the assignment in writing (email or contract).
• Confirm the fee and what it covers (word count, data work, travel).
• Confirm the deadline and revision expectations.
• Ask if there is a kill fee (payment if story is canceled).
• Understand rights: exclusivity, republishing, portfolio use.

• Estimate hours: reporting + data + writing + revisions.
• Divide fee by hours to get a rough hourly rate.
• If too low, shrink scope or pitch a smaller angle.
• Track actual time; your estimates improve fast.

• You attribute information to sources clearly.
• You keep screenshots/documents for verification.
• You describe your method and limitations honestly.
• You avoid cherry-picking and exaggeration.
• You seek comment and represent responses fairly.

• “Everyone knows…” with no evidence.
• Claims too broad to verify.
• Copying other reporting without credit.
• AI-generated story text instead of reporting.
• Publishing sensitive personal data without a public-interest reason.

• Higher trust for future pitches to other outlets.
• Better rates because you have proof you can deliver rigor.
• Invites to panels, speaking, consulting, teaching.
• Stronger client work if you also do data/tech writing.

• Write a separate “behind the reporting” post that links to the story.
• Create checklists/templates derived from your methods (new writing).
• Pitch a follow-up to another outlet with new reporting.
• Use short excerpts + link in your portfolio (respect contract terms).