Contribute
Submit a news briefing
NewsBriefing publishes work from people who know a subject properly, whether or not they are journalists. This page sets out what a news briefing is, the format we accept, how we check it, and what we pay.
What a news briefing is
A news briefing is a short, structured account of one development, written so that a reader who knew nothing about the subject that morning understands it properly by the end. It is not a news wire item, which assumes context the reader may not have, and it is not a feature, which takes the scenic route.
The form is old and unglamorous. Governments, banks and intelligence services have used briefings for a century because they work: a decision-maker with ten minutes needs to know what happened, what it changes, and what to watch next. That is the whole discipline.
A briefing answers four questions in order. What happened. Why it matters. Who is affected. What happens next. If a paragraph does not serve one of those four questions, it belongs in a different article.
How to submit a news briefing
01
Check that the story fits
NewsBriefing publishes European news and analysis: EU institutions, national politics with European consequences, business, technology policy, energy and security. A briefing about a purely local matter with no European dimension will not be commissioned.
02
Write the briefing to the standard format
Open with what happened in no more than 60 words. Follow with why it matters, who is affected, the numbers involved, and what happens next. Between 300 and 900 words is the working range.
03
Attach your sources
Every factual claim needs a source a reader can check: a document, a filing, an official statistic, a transcript or a named interview. Link primary sources rather than other coverage wherever both exist.
04
Identify yourself and any interest you hold
Give your name, your professional background and any financial, political or personal interest in the subject. Declared interests do not disqualify a submission. Undeclared ones do.
05
Send it through the submission form
Paste the briefing into the form on this page, or email it to editors@newsbriefing.eu with 'Briefing submission' in the subject line. You will get an acknowledgement within two working days.
06
Expect editing, or a decline
Accepted briefings are edited into NewsBriefing house style and fact-checked against your sources. We may come back with questions. If we decline, we will say so rather than leave you waiting.
What we accept
- European Union policy and institutional decision-making, including the parts that are procedural and dull.
- National politics anywhere in Europe, read for its European consequences.
- Business and markets, where you can show the numbers.
- Technology and digital regulation, covered as policy rather than product.
- Energy, industry and the economics of decarbonisation.
- Security, defence and Europe's relationships beyond its borders.
What we decline
- Press releases, in any form, however they are dressed up.
- Search-optimised content written to carry a link.
- Opinion with no reporting underneath it.
- Anything whose central claim rests on a single anonymous source we cannot assess.
- Work generated by a language model and submitted as your own reporting.
- Pieces where an undeclared commercial interest becomes apparent later.
Send us your briefing
Paste the briefing below, or email it to editors@newsbriefing.eu. Acknowledgement within two working days, a decision within ten.
Questions about submitting
What is a news briefing?
A news briefing is a short, structured account of a single development, written so that a reader who knows nothing about the subject understands it in a few minutes. It states what happened, why it matters, who is affected and what happens next, and it sources every factual claim. It is shorter than a feature and more explanatory than a news wire item.
How do I submit a news briefing to NewsBriefing.eu?
Use the submission form on this page, or email editors@newsbriefing.eu with 'Briefing submission' in the subject line. Include the briefing itself, your sources, and a short note on who you are. You will receive an acknowledgement within two working days.
What makes a good news briefing?
Specificity. A good briefing names the institution, gives the figure with its period and currency, cites the document, and says what is scheduled to happen next. A weak briefing generalises, uses adjectives in place of numbers, and cites other coverage rather than primary evidence.
How long should a news briefing be?
Between 300 and 900 words for a standard briefing. Longer analysis is commissioned rather than submitted, so if you think a subject needs 2,000 words, send a 300 word pitch first and we will discuss it.
Do you pay for news briefings?
We pay for commissioned work. Unsolicited briefings that we publish are paid at our standard freelance rate, agreed with you before publication. We will never publish your work without telling you what we intend to pay for it.
Do I need to be a professional journalist to submit?
No. We publish briefings from practitioners, researchers, civil servants, lawyers and analysts who know a subject properly. What matters is that the claims are sourced and the interests are declared, not the job title.
Can I submit a news briefing anonymously?
You must identify yourself to the editors. We can publish under a pseudonym or withhold a byline where there is a genuine risk to you, but we will not publish material from someone whose identity we do not know.
How long does it take to hear back?
An acknowledgement within two working days, and a decision within ten. If the subject is time-sensitive, say so in your covering note and we will move faster.
Can I submit a press release as a news briefing?
No. Press releases are promotional material and we do not publish them in any form. If your organisation has announced something genuinely newsworthy, send the underlying document and we will decide whether to report it ourselves.
What happens if my briefing is rejected?
You keep it. We claim no rights over anything we do not publish, and you are free to offer it elsewhere immediately. Where we can, we will tell you why we declined.
Can I submit a correction to a published briefing?
Yes, and we would rather hear it than not. Send the correction to editors@newsbriefing.eu with the article URL. Corrections we accept are made on the page with a dated note explaining what changed.
Who owns the copyright in a published briefing?
You retain copyright in your work. Publishing with us grants NewsBriefing a licence to publish and archive it, which is set out in the agreement we send before publication.