Calling All Citizen Journalists

If you had the time, you could write thousands of eye-opening money-and-politics stories using the information that lives on OpenSecrets.org. And many professional journalists do just that — CRP was cited in the news more than 3,000 times last year. But why leave all the fun to the New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal and the countless other news organizations that rely on CRP?

Now you can share the secrets you’ve uncovered by competing in OpenSecrets.org’s Citizen Journalism Contest. Along with our partners at Helium, a neat website where you can “learn what you need and share what you know,” we’ve created a way for users of OpenSecrets.org to write about what they discover, share it with others for their review and win a $100 prize for the best article.

We’re kicking the contest off today with this open-ended topic:

How have campaign contributions and lobbying efforts influenced policy on an issue you care about?

Consider that question and use OpenSecrets.org to do your research. Expressing your opinion is fine, but please back it up with facts. Then submit a compelling article of 750 words or less through Helium.com. Other users will rate your work, and then CRP will select a winner. Write fast — the contest closes on August 8 (changed from Aug. 1 to give writers some extra time). We’ll announce the winner sometime after August 11 and will post the winning article on OpenSecrets.org. (More information and contest guidelines are here. If you have questions, e-mail [email protected].)

We’re looking forward to reading your work.