41 Publishers that Pay for Writing on Politics

Many of these publications pay $1 per word...

Maybe I’m foolish to wade into politics. However, what could be more important than thoughtful political reporting and discourse?

There are many wonderful publications that are not famous at all, while still offering thoughtful discourse on political topics.

I’ve curated this list to include many of these less well-known publications, many of which are brimming full of thoughtful commentary, insights, and ideas.

Below is a list of publishers that work with freelance writers, and accept pitches on political topics. All of these publishers pay for the writing they publisih. I’ve researched contact information and pay rates for all of these publications, to make it easy for you to connect with the right opportunity.

The Drift is “a magazine of culture and politics.” They want “socially engaged cultural criticism; class-sensitive analysis; pieces that point out what’s being avoided or talked around in politics, media, arts, or even academia; upbeat cynicism; un-self-serious screeds; generous takedowns; entries from the margins; fiction; poetry; 1-3 sentence book/ movie/ TV/ art reviews.” They pay:

- $2,000 for essays
- $500 - $1,000 for short stories
- $150 for poems
- $25 for Mentions

To learn more, refer to this page.

Hammer & Hope is “a magazine of Black politics and culture.” Their aim is to “build a project whose politics and aesthetics reflects the electric spirit of the protesters who flooded the streets in 2020, a project that breathes life into the transformative ideas pointing us towards the world we deserve.” They accept pitches from writers at submissions@hammerandhope.org. They pay $1.00/word for commentary, $1.33/word for reported features, and $300/25 lines or less and $6 each additional line for poems. To learn more, refer to this page.

Noema is a magazine that explores the transformations sweeping our world. They publish “essays, interviews, reportage, videos and art on the overlapping realms of philosophy, governance, geopolitics, economics, technology, and culture.” According to payment reports, they pay $1.05 per word. If interested, send your pitches or drafts for essays, reported features, interviews, or fiction short stories to edit@noemamag.com. To contact them, refer to this page.

Dissent is a website and quarterly print magazine that publishes political and cultural criticism. They welcome submissions for both their website and print magazine. They accept pieces on politics, economics, and culture. They don’t accept fiction or poetry submissions. According to one of their calls for writers, they pay $0.50 per word. If interested, email your submissions to submissions@dissentmagazine.org. For details, read their submission guidelines.

The Baffler is a print and digital magazine that features political and cultural criticism, poems, short stories, and art. Payment reports indicate that they pay up to $0.13 per word. To learn more, refer to this page.

Overland is a magazine of cultural criticism, essays, and literature. They are interested in articles on economic inequality, housing, arts policy and governance, climate change, and environmental justice. They pay $150 per article. Most articles are 800 to 1200 words. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.