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Mother Jones

About

Mother Jones is a nonprofit investigative news organization that delivers bold and original multiplatform reporting on the urgent issues of our time, from democracy protection and climate change to extremism and beyond. Much like our namesake, the 20th-century union organizer Mary Harris “Mother” Jones—who battled child labor and was once referred to as “the most dangerous woman in America”—we punch above our weight in service of fairness and justice: Our political scoops, deep-dive reportage, and narrative storytelling reach 8 million readers every month.

Important: Query first.

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States
Established in 1976

Publication Media & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication
Unknown publication frequency
Print Publication Print Publication
Published 6 x per year

AI Policy

Unknown AI policy

Collapse section Nonfiction Open

We commission stories that are revelatory and dynamic, the kind that teach readers something they didn’t already know—be it a dark force warping an issue or affecting a community, or an undercovered solution to some of our most intractable problems. For stories with a primarily local context, you’ll need to demonstrate their national relevance to our far-flung audience; meanwhile, international pitches should have a strong domestic connection. We’re interested in just about anything that will raise our readers’ eyebrows, but we focus especially on these areas: national politics, democracy protection and restoration, racial and economic justice, climate and the environment, corporate wrongdoing, and human rights.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Article: Up to 5,000 words.
Essay: Up to 5,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Mainstream.

Topics:

Business/Finance: See guidelines.
Nature/Environment: Environmental issues.
Politics/Political Science: General, See guidelines.
Society/Culture: Social issues, See guidelines.

Payment:

Professional payment (5 or more US cents per word) Professional payment. Details: USD $1.75/word for print publication; $0.75/word for online publication.

Submissions:

Method: Email.
Reprints: Unknown.
Simultaneous submissions: Unknown.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Visual Art Open

Mother Jones is committed to championing the best in photography and is always looking for exceptional photographers with a unique visual style. Primary outlets for photo stories at Mother Jones include online photo essays, print features, standalone single images, or very tight (4-6) photo stories for the OutFront section of the magazine.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Artwork: Unknown number of pieces.
Photo Essay: No image limits known.

Art Media:

Illustration.
Photography.

Art Styles:

Open to all/most Art Styles.

Topics:

Nature/Environment: Environmental issues.
Politics/Political Science: General, See guidelines.
Society/Culture: Social issues, See guidelines.

Payment:

Unknown payment Unknown payment.

Submissions:

Method: Email.
Reprints: Unknown.
Simultaneous submissions: Unknown.
Media: Image.

Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.

Mother Jones Submission Statistics

The statistics in this section are compiled from submission reports sent to us through our submission tracker. They are not provided by the publication's editors/staff or by Duotrope's admins. Information in this section is updated a few times per day. Learn more about the statistics.

We have not received any submission reports for this listing in the past 12 months.

Your Submissions

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Before Submitting

We cannot guarantee that the information on this page is correct. It is not unusual for publications to evolve or close without notice. We do our best to keep up, but it isn't always possible. Duotrope listings do not imply endorsement or recommendation of the project being listed. Before submitting, you should use your own judgment to determine whether the project meets your standards.

  • Always read the full guidelines provided by the publisher.
  • Try to read at least one previous publication to get a better idea of what the editor would like to see.
  • Unless the publisher's guidelines state otherwise, always use industry standard manuscript formatting.
  • Be professional, patient, and persistent.

Dates

Last Updated: 13 Aug 2026

We check their guidelines for changes every four weeks, and we audit the listing twice a year.

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