Inkstick Media is an award-winning nonprofit newsroom focused on how power and conflict shape people’s lives.

Inkstick Media is an award-winning nonprofit newsroom investigating how power, money, and the systems built in the name of security shape people’s lives.

We follow those systems wherever they lead — from wars and weapons spending to corporate power, policing, surveillance, borders, emerging technology, and the communities living with their consequences.

In the process, we tear down the false wall between “foreign” and “domestic” policy. Because the Pentagon’s trillion-dollar budget doesn’t stop at the water’s edge — it shapes your town, your school board, your police department, from Gaza to Kansas, Kabul to Connecticut.

We publish deep-dive investigative reporting, sharp analysis, and award-winning storytelling. Our podcast, Things That Go Boom, unpacks the hidden forces shaping US security, while our newsletters take readers behind the headlines and into the fight for accountability.

Inkstick

Inkstick is written explicitly by and for you: a broad, inter-generational, and diverse group of real people impacted by global security. Our work reaches beyond the policy bubble to deliver relatable human stories alongside hard-hitting news and analysis. In doing so, it aims to elevate a multiplicity of voices and perspectives — especially those that have been historically silenced or spoken over — and explore the intersection of global security and more proximate human needs with empathy first and foremost.<div><br></div><div>Commentary</div><div>Brief, conversational analysis. ~1000 words. Don’t shy away from the facts. Our readers aren’t dim or uninformed, they just don’t want to read your droning wonkery. Humor, pop culture references, and snark are encouraged. Cursing is allowed. Flagrant use of acronyms and policy jargon need not apply. Find another way to say JCPOA. No footnotes, please, and thank you. But we do expect you to cite your sources with a link.</div><div><br></div><div>A note.</div><div>We have an engaged and sometimes intense editing process — so be ready to workshop with us if we accept your pitch. We expect all facts to be cited and backed up by credible sources. We won’t stand for plagiarism or self-plagiarism. Quotes should have transcripts or exchanges made available if requested, and interviews must be conducted with prior consent. We’re not interested in “gotcha” journalism or undercover tactics. We’re interested in making our complex world more human and humane.</div>

Commentary

Inkstick is written explicitly by and for you: a broad, inter-generational, and diverse group of real people impacted by global security. Our work reaches beyond the policy bubble to deliver relatable human stories alongside hard-hitting news and analysis. In doing so, it aims to elevate a multiplicity of voices and perspectives — especially those that have been historically silenced or spoken over — and explore the intersection of global security and more proximate human needs with empathy first and foremost.<div><br></div><div>Essays</div><div>Tell us a story — you know, an article with (at least some) elements of character, setting, plot, conflict, or theme that help the reader to better understand a broader issue. Think, the New Yorker, not The New York Times. Op-ed style pieces should be submitted as commentary and adhere to article guidelines and limits. For essays, length isn’t an issue. Pictures are nice but not required. Proximity is key — in other words, your piece should be personal or relatable. And by relatable, we mean relatable to an actual, everyday human — not a specific example of a human, like your history or politics professor.</div>

Essays

<div>Inkstick is written explicitly by and for you: a broad, inter-generational, and diverse group of real people impacted by global security. Our work reaches beyond the policy bubble to deliver relatable human stories alongside hard-hitting news and analysis. In doing so, it aims to elevate a multiplicity of voices and perspectives — especially those that have been historically silenced or spoken over — and explore the intersection of global security and more proximate human needs with empathy first and foremost.</div><div><br></div>Reporting<div>Inkstick pays only for original, reported articles. We expect journalists to work ethically and rigorously, conscious of ethical codes of the profession, intentional listening, and harm reduction. Freelance reporters, please inquire about current rates.</div>

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