Contribute to Health-e News
Your stories matter. In our ongoing commitment to fostering a community of shared experiences and resilience, we invite you to be the authors of change by sharing your first-person health narratives.
Every journey with health is unique, and your personal experiences can inspire, educate, and resonate with others facing similar challenges. Your story has the power to break stigma, encourage empathy, and foster a sense of community.
What We’re Looking For:
- Personal Triumphs: Share stories of overcoming health obstacles, from conquering illnesses to achieving personal wellness milestones.
- Challenges and Resilience: Illuminate the difficulties you’ve faced in navigating the healthcare system or managing chronic conditions. Your resilience can inspire others.
- Health Advocacy: If you’re actively involved in health advocacy, share your journey. Highlight the issues that matter to you and the impact you’re making.
By sharing your story, you contribute to a collective dialogue that promotes understanding, support, and community. Your narrative could spark conversations, foster connections, and empower others to share their stories too.
Stories should run 500-800 words. We pay a flat fee of R500 per story.Â
Your voice matters, and together, we can shape a narrative that reflects the diversity and strength of our community. Let’s break the silence, erase the stigma, and celebrate the triumphs and challenges that make us uniquely human.
Thank you for being an integral part of the Health-e News family.
Tip-offs and leads
Community is important to us. A publication is only as good as its readership, because you are our eyes and ears on the ground.
Too often, stories that need to be told go unheard. If you have a story you’d like to share, please provide a brief summary (max 250 words) of what the story is, and why it needs to be told. We’re looking for stories that spark hope, or give an insight into the reality of healthcare in South Africa.Â
Whether it’s an issue at your health facility, an issue in your community or nationally, let us know and we’ll look into it.Â
We are also looking for positive stories, so if you know of people or organisations creating change or presenting solutions, we want to know.
If you have any supporting documents you’d like to share, please upload them here.
Contact
Freelancers
Health-e News mission is to publish impact journalism that explores ideas and approaches for tackling public health challenges, contributes to a healthier South Africa, and holds decision-makers accountable.Â
We write for a diverse audience, from public health leaders and policy makers to grassroots activists and ordinary citizens.
We welcome narrative features and investigative pitches from freelance journalists.
We’re looking for in-depth features or investigations that dive deep into healthcare issues affecting communities, uncovering hidden truths, and exposing systemic challenges that demand attention.
We’d love to see stories centred around data and analytics. We value stories backed by thorough research and comprehensive data analysis.
A human-centred approach is crucial. Investigative rigour must have a compelling human voice. Share stories of individuals and communities impacted by health issues to create a relatable and empathetic connection with our readers.
Pitches should give a sense of who will be featured and why, how you will get access to those individuals, what supporting interviews will be conducted, what research will be cited, why the story matters now, and why you are the best person to write it. Our stories generally run between 800 and 1500 words; pitches should typically not exceed 300 words.
Payment is in accordance with the SAFREA rate.
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Opinion pieces
We seek well-argued pieces that put forward the author’s clear point of view. Our opinion essays typically run 600 to 900 words and should focus on new ideas and approaches that could change health outcomes. We aim to spark dialogue and discussion – think dinner party, not lecture hall. Accordingly, strive for a conversational tone. We welcome writers from all backgrounds, but they must honor journalistic ethics. A good pitch will show, in one to two paragraphs, the argument for the idea, how it will create impact, whether any scientific evidence supports the argument, and why you are positioned to write about it with authority.
Before pitching:
- Please check if and how we have previously covered the topic at Health-e News
- We look for originality – please check how much coverage the issue has had in other publications before submitting to Health-e News. If you think it’s still relevant, what is your fresh take that sets your story apart?Â
- Are you the best person to write it? If you’re reporting on a particular community, is it your story, or theirs? Have you considered working with them to tell their own story?
Unfortunately, we are a limited team with limited resources and can’t accept every pitch. If you have not heard from us within three weeks, please assume your pitch has been unsuccessful this time.