Write stories with a global impact

When we set out to renew the Orato World Media brand last year, our vision was to see a following that reaches across the planet.

Our editorial efforts resumed in October, and little by little, step by step and story by story, we've seen that dream become a reality.

As we prepare to put a cap on January 2021 (how did that happen already, by the way?) we've reached the 40 new stories milestone. But what's even more exciting is our engagement map. This tracker isn't about stories, it isn't about revenue, and it isn't about numbers. It's about people.

It's about people from all four corners of the earth coming together over our content, over your content.

We set out to become a global news organization. And, with your help, Orato World Media now lives up to its name.

So now what?

Now we use our global reach and our shared dedication to the truth to stand against a web full of weaponized fake news and hateful rhetoric.

"By providing vetted and fact-checked first-person non-fiction stories, we are looking to be the antidote to this tsunami of B.S. flowing in from these content farming sites," says Orato World Media managing editor John White.

"One of our key areas of focus is to bring first-person accounts from major news events from around the world, soon after they occur. We want to take readers inside those events, to feel what it was like to be right in the middle of history unfolding."

Now we write. Now we tell stories. Now we give a voice—a global voice—to the voiceless.

We always encourage journalists to pitch their ideas. However, we also keep a running list of stories that we're actively seeking. Here is a handful of those stories.

We want a story on youth poet laureate Amanda Gorman and her journey to reciting her powerful poem during Biden's inauguration.

More than 30 are dead after an earthquake in Indonesia. What happened as the earth shook? How were families informed of the death of their relatives?

Nine Tumandok leaders were killed by police after allegedly being "red-tagged" by the Philippines' government. We want the first-person account of a witness to the killings or a fellow Tumandok leader to shed light on what happened.
Claim the story

Writing descriptive sentences in traditional hard news prose is difficult.

And while it remains challenging to craft a compelling and descriptive story in Orato's signature first-person style, that is how you, the writer, stand out from the crowd.

Our format not only allows us to go deeper into breaking news but encourages us to do so. We have the time and space to step into the subject's shoes and share their experience.

Let's use this scenario as an example:

"It was dark. I was alone on the edge of a cliff."

Is it interesting? Absolutely. Would I still read it? Probably. Now contrast that sentence with the description below.

"What I remember is that, suddenly, I was completely in the dark. I quickly realized that my flashlight had lost its batteries. I was in a crouched position and felt like if I was sitting on a narrow surface. Behind me, I touched the wall of the mountain, and my legs dangled in emptiness."

They share the same premise, but I know which story I'd read.

Don't be afraid to take the time to describe the subject's surroundings. Your story will only be better for it.

A global effort

Stories we're looking for

Youth poet laureate

Indonesia earthquake

Indigenous leaders killed

Get colorful