Initiative
Ocean Reporting Network
The Pulitzer Center launched the Ocean Reporting Network (ORN) in May 2023, offering the unique opportunity for freelance and staff journalists to pursue an in-depth or investigative ocean story over 12 months.
READ THE REPORTING | HOW IT WORKS | JOIN THE NETWORK | RESOURCES
HOW IT WORKS
Similar to the model of the Center’s Rainforest Investigations Network, the Fellows receive funding, training, and the support of dedicated editors from the Pulitzer Center’s Environmental Investigations Unit. Further support from our Engagement team helps the Fellows amplify their stories, engage with their audience, and measure impact.
A healthy ocean is vital to addressing the triple planetary crisis of global warming, pollution, and biodiversity loss. Public awareness of the threats to marine species and ecosystems is growing, but dedicated reporting and engagement are required to bring these issues to broader attention and drive real change. Ocean reporting is underfunded, and the topics are comparatively unreported. This is where the ORN can play a transformative role, supporting a collaborative ecosystem of journalists around the world who will systematically probe the drivers of the degradation of our marine environment across a range of topics, stories, and formats.
JOIN THE NETWORK
We encourage experienced journalists—freelancers or on-staff—with a proven track record of environmental investigations and a solid understanding of ocean issues to apply. The full-time, year-long Fellowships will cover a reporter’s salary and provide additional support for the media outlet that employs the journalist (if on staff), or that agrees to host the Fellow (if a freelancer). Fellows are expected to devote a full year to their ocean investigation and to publish regularly. They will receive training and data, communication, research, and coordination support from the Pulitzer Center. They will work closely with their co-Fellows worldwide, benefiting from one another’s skills and diverse perspectives. The ORN is supported by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD).
Applications for 2024 are now closed. Subscribe to our newsletter to be notified when applications open again in late 2024.
RESOURCES
Do you want to report on the ocean but don’t know where to start? We believe in radical sharing of methodologies and lessons learned from the projects we support so they may serve as valuable resources and blueprints for other newsrooms, universities, and civil society organizations pursuing similar projects. View our featured ocean reporting resources below for more information. We've also prepared information for newsrooms interested in hosting a fellow.
CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT RESOURCE
Ocean Reporting Toolkit
Do you want to report on the ocean but don’t know where to start? From climate impacts, to fisheries, deep-sea mining and pollution, there are many sources of stories and data. We have prepared an Ocean Reporting Toolkit that you may find useful to support your work.
CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT RESOURCE
How To Investigate IUU Fishing
An estimated one in five fish caught worldwide comes from illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing practices. To support journalists covering IUU fishing and its consequences, the Ocean Reporting Network (ORN) has created this toolkit
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