The War Horse is looking for freelance investigations and enterprise features about the human consequences of military service, war, and national security policy.

We publish deeply reported stories that reveal something meaningful about military life, veterans systems, military institutions, defense policy, bureaucracy, leadership, culture, spending, technology, justice, health, readiness, and war. We are especially interested in stories that hold power to account, expose hidden systems or institutional failures, and help readers understand who bears the consequences of decisions made far above them.

We are not looking for stories simply because something happened. We are looking for stories that reveal, explain, investigate, contextualize, or make readers understand something they did not understand before.

Before pitching, please read The War Horse to get a feel for the work we publish. We are looking for stories with rigor, humanity, fairness, and consequence. A few examples:

A War Horse story should help readers understand not only what happened, but why it matters, who was affected, and what larger truth it reveals about military service, war, or the institutions surrounding them.

If that is the story you are chasing, please send an email to pitches@thewarhorse.org. Whether you’re a journalist, researcher, academic, service member, veteran, or military family member with an idea and a dream, we want to hear from you.

But first, read on to see what we’re after and what you can expect from us.

What we’re looking for

The strongest War Horse stories usually have a human center and a larger public-interest question.

That does not mean every story has to be intimate, personal, or narrative. It means the reporting should ultimately show how military systems, policy decisions, command climates, institutions, or national security choices affect real people.

We are especially interested in freelance pitches about:

Military justice, veterans health care and benefits, training deaths and injuries, command climate and retaliation, sexual assault and institutional response, VA and Defense Department accountability, military family housing, reserve and National Guard systems, defense spending and contracting, emerging military technology, military education and training pipelines, and the human consequences of national security policy.

This list is not exhaustive. If you have a deeply reported story that you think should be published at The War Horse, we want to hear it.

We are especially interested in stories built from original reporting, firsthand interviews, public records, court filings, government documents, data, photographs, video, audio, inspection reports, lawsuits, internal communications, or other evidence.

A good pitch should make clear why the story matters now, who is affected, what larger system or pattern it reveals, and why The War Horse is the right place to publish it.

What we’re not looking for

We are not looking for breaking news, opinion pieces, personal essays, book or film reviews, satire, fiction, sponsored content, branded content, PR placements, or stories pitched on behalf of companies, agencies, advocacy campaigns, or public relations representatives.

Reflections are handled separately from freelance investigations and features. If you’d like to pitch a Reflection essay, please click here to fill out the submission form.

What makes a strong pitch

The best pitches usually show us:

  • A clear story, not just a broad topic.
  • People affected by the issue who can help readers understand the stakes.
  • Evidence to pursue, whether through interviews, records, data, court filings, documents, or direct observation.
  • A larger pattern, system, failure, conflict, or unanswered question worth examining.
  • A reason the story belongs in The War Horse.

A pitch about “toxic leadership in the military” is too broad. A pitch about a specific command, pattern of complaints, ignored warnings, documented retaliation, and the people harmed by it is much stronger.

A pitch about “problems at the VA” is too broad. A pitch about a specific benefits backlog, failed program, medical delay, oversight gap, or group of veterans harmed by a documented policy failure gives us something to evaluate.

A pitch about “new military technology” is too broad. A pitch about how a specific technology is being tested, funded, deployed, resisted, oversold, or affecting service members, civilians, or future warfare gives us a story.

Sensitive reporting and source protection

Some War Horse stories involve vulnerable sources, retaliation risk, trauma, legal exposure, or sensitive records.

Please do not send classified material or highly sensitive source-identifying information in an initial pitch. Tell us generally what you have, what you are seeking, and what risks may be involved. If the story appears to be a possible fit, we can discuss safer ways to proceed.

The War Horse takes source protection seriously. Editors must understand the identity of anonymous sources, but we grant anonymity when there is a clear public-interest reason and credible risk of harm, retaliation, or professional consequences.

What to expect from us

The War Horse edits closely and collaboratively.

If we assign a story, an editor will work with you on scope, structure, reporting, deadline, and revision expectations. Enterprise and investigative stories may require substantial editing, fact-checking, source follow-up, detailed requests for comment, legal review, and documentation before publication.

We do not share unpublished drafts with sources or subjects. We may verify quotes, facts, timelines, documents, and technical details. Subjects of serious criticism will generally be given a meaningful opportunity to respond before publication.

We expect freelance reporters to participate fully in the editing and fact-checking process.

Payment

The War Horse pays freelance reporters for assigned work.

Rates will vary based on the reporting required, story scope, length, exclusivity, documentation, timeline, and editing lift. Most freelance assignments fall between $1,000 and $3,500, with higher rates considered for major investigations or deeply reported enterprise projects.

We discuss rate, deadline, scope, and expectations before assigning a story. Contributors are required to sign a freelance agreement and disclose any conflicts of interest that could affect the work or reader trust.

How to pitch us

Send pitches to pitches@thewarhorse.org.

A strong pitch does not need to be long, but it should help us understand the story and why it belongs at The War Horse.

Please tell us what the story is, why it matters, who is affected, what larger system or pattern it reveals, and what reporting you have already done or plan to do. If you have documents, data, court records, public records, photographs, audio, video, or other evidence, tell us what you have or what you are seeking. If there are people you already know you need to interview, briefly describe them.

You do not need to have every answer before you pitch. But we should understand the central question, the stakes, the reporting path, and why readers will care. If the pitch seems like a possible fit, an editor may ask you to develop it further with a source list, reporting plan, possible narrative opening, or clearer story structure before assignment.

Please also include a few sentences about yourself, your reporting experience, and links to relevant previous work.

Now, you’re ready pitch us and show us what you’ve got. Just make sure you are sending us your best work and letting us know why it belongs in The War Horse. Still have questions? Feel free to ask via email at pitches@thewarhorse.org. We can’t wait to hear from you.