How to pitch Scena9
We are a publication with an eye for arts, ideas & society.
We document in depth topics related to culture & power, people & communities, arts as a living laboratory in which the big questions of society are reflected, media education & the internet. We do not shy away from uncomfortable topics, but we do our best to practice wise journalism, which does not contribute to the already devastating polarization.
The formats we publish
When making a pitch, it helps a lot to know which format your idea fits into:
- Reportage/written journalistic longform – involves fieldwork, observation, multiple voices
- Personal essay – lived experience & reflection
- Extended interview – a conversation that tells a story, not just Q&A (question & answer)
- Profile – a person as an entry point into a larger context
- Hybrid/multimedia formats – text + photo and/or video; video microdocumentary; comic strip; animation; podcast (i.e. audio documentary) etc.
- You don’t have to nail the format from the beginning, but it’s important to think about the way you’ll show the subject to the world.
According to Scena9’s editorial policy, we don’t publish news or press releases.
For commercial (advertising) partnerships, you can contact us at editorial@scena9.ro.
As for reviews (of films, books, shows, exhibitions, music, video games), we already have a set of regular collaborators. However, you can propose such material on a case-by-case basis, following the steps below, to the extent that they apply to your subject – that is, send us a pitch.
You can find out more about what a pitch is and how to write it below.
What a good pitch looks like
A pitch is usually an email or an email + a document in Word, Google Docs or PDF format in which you propose a journalistic subject. Please take care when writing it – using diacritics and respecting language norms always helps.
Ideally, such pitches:
- talk about topics relevant to the Scena9 audience and Romanian society, starting from concrete situations/characters/stories;
- demonstrate intention, curiosity and nuance;
- assume a clear, honest and responsible voice;
- are based on carefully verified information;
- are not written with AI.
The pitching process described below is valid for everyone interested in publishing at Scena9, including written, video or audio journalists, photojournalists, illustrators, video/audio/photo documentarians, researchers, artists, etc.
You can send us your pitch to the email address editorial@scena.ro. Recommended subject: PITCH Scena9 – provisional title.
A pitch should include the following:
1. The idea, in short
A paragraph or two, as clear as possible, about what you want to say and why it matters.
2. The angle
What does your text bring new, on the topic you want to cover and for Romanian society? How do your angle & topic fit with a culture & society publication?
3. Relevance
Why now? Why is it relevant for Scena9 readers?
4. The documentation process
How will you work, depending on the type of text you are writing (reportage, interviews, documentaries, personal experience, etc.)? It is very important to propose a realistic/feasible topic, the documentation of which does not involve infinite resources of time and energy, but also to have access to (at least some of) the sources you want to consult.
5. Your context
Who are you and why are you the right person to document this topic (with links to previously published materials, if any)? A portfolio is always useful to us, regardless of whether you work in writing, photography, video, audio, illustration, etc. At the same time, even if you have not published elsewhere, you can still send us pitches.
There is no need to send us very long synopses about your topic. Generally, from about 500 words we understand what it is about.
We also ask that you do not send us texts written in an excessively academic/theoretical language or generic texts, which could appear in any other publication.
We also ask that you do not send us articles that have already been written. At Scena9, each published material goes through an editorial process, under the supervision of one of our editors, who provides feedback on structure, documentation, tone, etc.
What kind of ideas are we looking for
As a rule, we are interested in ideas that bring a new perspective on a phenomenon with cultural and/or social relevance, that bring to light something invisible, marginal, ignored, that connect personal experience to the wider social context and can be supported by documentation, observation, interviews, fieldwork and/or archives.
Concrete examples (strictly for illustration purposes):
- young artists + invisible work
- migration + the emotional work of migrant delivery workers
- the body + shame/illness/aging/sexuality/addiction
What helps us say “yes” to a pitch
This is what we look for in a pitch:
- a clearly formulated idea;
- as specific and non-generic an angle as possible;
- signs that you have read Scena9 – that you know, for example, what materials on similar topics/formats we have published in the ten years of our publication’s existence;
- a realistic proposal (in terms of time, access, documentation);
- honesty: tell us if this is your first text or if, due to the complexity of the subject, you need another type of guidance beyond the usual editorial process.
In the editorial process, we discuss, provide feedback, leave suggestions and comments, edit and ask questions. It is a collaborative process. At the end of it, we expect to obtain memorable materials.
What happens after you send the pitch
We try to respond to all proposals. Sometimes we say “not now”, but we save the idea for later and we can come back to you. Other times we come up with suggestions for changing the angle or format.
If your pitch is selected and you need extra resources (illustration, photography, access to the Arcanum archive, etc.), Scena9 editors can provide them to you, following some discussions.
If you do not receive an immediate response, this does not automatically mean a refusal – the editorial offices are often overloaded. The response time from the editorial office can vary between one and two weeks, so we ask you to be patient with us, we receive quite a lot of such proposals. If you still do not receive a response within this time frame, feel free to come back to us by email.
Ethical positioning
We carefully relate to the ethics of documenting and producing the journalistic materials we publish.
We offer multiple perspectives on important topics, in order to understand the complexity and avoid polarization / reductionism, etc.
We verify information from multiple sources.
We work, most often, with topics that involve people. Many of them are in vulnerable positions (migrants, minorities, precarious, marginalized, people without visibility, underrepresented communities).
What we ensure our sources:
honest relationships, based on informed consent – each source must be aware that the material will be published and that it will thus be publicly exposed*;
clarity on how the information they provide us will be used;
avoiding sensationalism, exoticization or instrumentalization of suffering;
respecting the personal boundaries of the interlocutors.
We do not tell stories about vulnerable people/communities without their involvement.
* In particularly sensitive cases, we may agree to publish the testimonies of sources under anonymity. Such decisions are made in consultation with Scena9 editors. Collaborating journalists have the duty to make the raw materials resulting from the consultation with the sources (video and/or audio recordings, written correspondence, etc.) available to Scena9 editors.
About the use of AI (artificial intelligence)
Artificial intelligence is already part of the current media ecosystem, and Scena9 uses it transparently and responsibly, as an auxiliary tool, but in no way as a substitute for documentation, writing and assuming responsibility towards the public.
In the newsroom, we use AI for transcription and translation support. In both cases, the process involving AI is always followed by human verification and editing.
We do not knowingly publish texts or images generated entirely with AI and we expect authors to use such tools with discernment. Images containing AI interventions are marked as such.
If you use AI in the work process (e.g. for structuring, preliminary translations, documentation, illustration elements), please tell us about it openly.
Important
Published materials are paid. Details about fees are discussed individually.
We do not publish texts sent simultaneously to other publications.
We respect the work of our authors and expect the same in our relationship with sources.
Scena9 Style Guide
We are a publication with an eye for arts, ideas & society.
We document in depth topics related to culture & power, people & communities, arts as a living laboratory in which the big questions of society are reflected, media education & the internet. We do not shy away from uncomfortable topics, but we do our best to practice wise journalism, which does not contribute to the already devastating polarization.
What kind of materials do we publish at Scena9
For details on what types of topics and materials we are looking for, see our Pitching Guide above.
It's good to know, right off the bat, that we don't publish:
press releases;
promotional articles*/guest posts;
reactive opinion texts (op-eds written "in the heat of the moment")
texts that repeat ideas already discussed, without bringing a new angle.
* If you want to pitch us an advertorial-type commercial collaboration, you can write to us at editorial@scena9.ro. Advertising texts will always be marked as such.
The Scena9 tone
We try to maintain a clear, empathetic and curious editorial tone, but without sacrificing rigor and complexity. Ideally, what we publish is accessible to curious readers, but can also be interesting for experts.
We avoid:
information not verified from several sources;
excessive academic jargon (we explain specialized terms when we use them);
unexplained references (name dropping);
cynicism and moral superiority;
an advertorial tone.
You may write in the first person, especially in essays or reports. However, this should help the journalistic material to bring a new side to the subject.
A useful rule is to conceive your material as if you were telling the story to someone who is hearing about it for the first time.
Language and style
We prefer clear sentences, with active verbs and airy paragraphs. We avoid very long sentences, passive diathesis (“it is found”, “it is achieved”, etc.) and cumbersome formulations.
We use inclusive language that respects the dignity of the people we write about (e.g. Roma, unhoused people, people with disabilities, migrants, transgender people, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, etc.).
Texts on sensitive topics that may provoke strong emotional reactions are marked as such with warnings.
Citation and sources
Texts based on pre-documentation from written sources must clearly indicate the cited sources. Such pre-existing online sources are marked by inserting hyperlinks to them, not by footnotes or bibliography at the end.
Texts that contain specialized terms that require explanations may include a final glossary or information boxes.
Titles and text structuring
Scena9 titles must be clear, specific and anchored in the story. We avoid excessively academic and inaccessible formulations and do not use clickbait. We prefer titles that are between 5 and 14 words. The title on the website and the one used in social media may be different, in the sense that on social media we sometimes use more direct formulations.
Each material begins with a lede/deck or headline, that is, one or two clear sentences, which announce the subject and theme of the text, without, however, summarizing it in full.
We publish longform (long texts), but the optimal length of a text is about 15,000 characters with spaces (approximately 2,000 words).
Long texts (over 2,000-2,500 words) can be structured through subtitles/intertitles, which announce the theme of each section separately.
Formatting rules
All published texts use correct diacritics, where need be, and respect current grammatical norms.
For quotes, we use double quotation marks, not italics. When there is a quote within the quote, we mark it with single quotation marks (''). We may lightly edit quotes for clarity, eliminating redundancies and/or correcting grammatical errors, but we keep the voice and intention/idea of the source.
In Scena9 texts, the titles of books, films, shows, albums are written in italics, and the titles of articles, chapters, essays or individual songs are placed between quotation marks ("").
After film titles, the year of release, the name of the director and the country are added in parentheses. Ex.: Film Title (2025, d. Sergiu Nicolaescu, Romania).
After book titles, the year of release, the publisher and, if applicable, the name of the person signing the translation are added in parentheses. Ex.: Book Title (2025, Humanitas, trans. Iulia Popescu).
Numerals from 1 to 12 are written with letters, except when they appear within a date, a percentage, etc. For fractions we use a comma, not a period (ex.: 2.45, not 2.45). For numerals in the thousands we use a period (ex.: 2,000, not 2000), except for years.
9 mistakes to avoid when working on your piece
1.❌ You wrote a very general/abstract introduction.
✅ Pieces work best when they start with a specific scene, person, or moment.
2. ❌ You give too much context before telling the story and/or try to cover the topic exhaustively.
✅The reader doesn’t yet know why they should care about what’s behind the story, so it’s better to start with the story itself. Context can be inserted along the way, as long as it’s relevant to the story.
3. ❌ The topic is good, but the angle remains unclear. The reader doesn’t clearly know, right from the start, what the material is actually about.
✅ Pieces that work have a leading “red thread” or a central question, which is clear from beginning to end.
4. ❌ The piece makes broad generalizations – statements like “Our society is…”
✅ We always prefer concrete examples and documented observations.
5. ❌The text contains too many long quotations, so it ends up being made up of whole block quotes and very little narration/reflection/analysis.
✅Use relevant, powerful quotes that complete the story, but do not tell it for you.
6. ❌ The piece uses excessive academic language.
✅ Journalistic writing is, first and foremost, accessible to the reader – which does not mean that we resort to oversimplification. A text can be, at the same time, accessible as a reading and nuanced/complex as ideas.
7. ❌The text imposes/explains to the reader what they should believe.
✅ Instead of conclusions, which may seem moralizing, we prefer to inject our published pieces with arguments, observations and relevant voices, leaving the reader to form their own opinion.
8. ❌ You wrote a text about a social phenomenon, but you built it only on personal opinion and observations.
✅ A good analysis often requires fieldwork and/or interviews.
9. ❌ The text contains information that has not been verified.
✅ The fact checking process is carried out during editing, but before sending a first draft of the text, it is good to verify, at least minimally, the information that appears in the piece.