Example Pitch and explanation of its structure
Pitch
Sept. 10th, 2014
Ending Relative Caregiver Discrimination
California pays relative caregivers less than half what it pays non-relative foster parents to take care of foster children. In June, California’s Governor included a pot of money that would level out those payments for countries that opt in by Oct. 1st—in less than three weeks.
Los Angeles has more children in foster care than any other California county; 9,000 children live with relatives. That is 43 percent of the country’s total foster care population, according to the California Welfare Indicator’s Project.
This story will explore whether or not Los Angeles will opt in, and compare that to other counties. It will be filed ahead of the Oct. 1 deadline.
Sources
- Frank Mecca, executive director of the California Welfare Director’s Association
- Child Welfare Numbers from California Child Welfare Indicators Project.
- Philip Browning, director of Los Angeles County’s Department of Children and Family Services
Explanation of structure
| Sentence or Phrase | Importance |
|---|---|
| Sept. 10th, 2025 | Date pitch is being made. This is important because it helps us determine timeliness |
| Ending Relative Caregiver Discrimination | This short title is sometimes referred to as the slug. It is used to pique your editor’s attention. It rarely will be the final headline. |
| California pays relative caregivers less than half what it pays non-relative foster parents to take care of foster children. | This lede tells the editor why this is an important issue, and describes the central tension the story will explore. |
| In June, California’s Governor included a pot of money that would level out those payments for countries that opt in by Oct. 1st—in less than three weeks. | This sentence tells the editor why it is important that this story be published now or soon. This is the news hook for the story. |
| Los Angeles has more children in foster care than any other California county; 9,000 children live with relatives. That is 43 percent of the country’s total foster care population, according to the California Welfare Indicator’s Project. | These two sentences set up the reason why the reporter would focus on Los Angeles County as opposed to other counties or the state. |
| This story will explore whether or not Los Angeles will opt in, and compare that to other counties. It will be filed ahead of the Oct. 1 deadline. | These sentences describe what the story will be about precisely and describe when the story should be published. |
| Frank Mecca, executive director of the California Welfare Director’s Association | Mecca is an important source because his agency represents all California directors. He is the best person in the state to help the reporter compare Los Angeles to other counties. |
| Child Welfare Numbers from California Child Welfare Indicators Project | This will provide the reporter with key stats needed to give the story context. |
| Philip Browning, director of Los Angeles County’s Department of Children and Family Services | Director Browning is a key part of the decision-making process in Los Angeles. Getting him on the record is a key piece of this story. |