About The Field
The Field publishes accountability journalism from reporters who were there and cannot get their stories placed elsewhere.
Why we exist
Many reporters around the world do the hardest work in journalism: they travel to the place, sit with the witnesses, collect the documents, and take the risk. Then their pitches go unanswered. The story goes unpublished, or it runs months late, or someone far from the facts tells it instead.
The Field exists to close that gap. We answer every pitch within 48 hours, and we publish accepted work within 72 hours.
What we publish
Accountability journalism only: investigations, human rights, governance and conflict. We publish no commentary, no opinion and no lifestyle content. Our first focus is Africa and the Horn, where we know the ground best. We welcome first-hand reporting from anywhere in the world.
Your voice belongs here
The Field exists to make unheard voices heard. If you pitched your reporting to other outlets and were ignored, this is your place. Send us the story. We read every pitch, we answer within 48 hours, and if it is a no, we tell you why.
Who can write for us
Reporters and writers anywhere in the world, including reporters in diaspora communities. If you reported the story first-hand, you can pitch us. The guidelines explain what first-hand means.
Who runs it
The Field was founded by Ismail Abukar, an independent investigative journalist whose work has been published by African Arguments, Horn Observer and Lawfare. He started The Field after his own pitches to other outlets went unanswered. Ismail edits The Field with an AI editing assistant, Claude, made by Anthropic. The assistant helps check structure, sourcing and clarity. A human editor makes every decision to publish.
How we are funded
The Field is free to read and carries no advertising. We are starting with our own resources. Next we will open reader donations, and after that we will apply for journalism grants. Funders will never influence what we publish, and we will list them here.
Contact
Pitches and general questions: pitches@thefieldreporters.com