When we set out to fund our first international reporting fellowship, we hoped to find new voices and ideas from around the world that mattered. And unlike other reporting fellowships and traditional media outlets, we wanted to give our readers a say in which story we funded because, well, they’d be the ones reading it.
We were overwhelmed by the number of proposals we received in just two months’ time—more than 200. The majority of the proposals were impressive: Not only were they well written, but most delved into under-reported issues outside of the U.S and came from young writers in interesting places who had never written for a magazine. After much deliberation, we chose six finalist proposals, each of which were the kind of provocative, timely, and engaging story we’re always looking for. Then we let the people choose which story they’d like to read.
While the voting process was not without obstacles, our audience surpassed our expectations entirely. In total, the six finalists received more than 3,000 votes, many of which came from new readers. We were very impressed by the amount of attention and excitement each proposal garnered within the finalists’ respective communities.
And yet one proposal received more votes than the rest. With a total of 1,060 recommends, Souvid Datta’s “The Price of a Child” took the lead.
Sonagachi is Asia’s second-largest red-light district, a gang-run hub for child trafficking, forced prostitution, and crime, hidden in plain sight within India’s North Kolkata. Tracing abduction routes and working with local activists, Datta will shed light on human rights abuses and political corruption through the story of two underage working girls.
“I believe your support will really allow me to cover this story — one which I feel so passionately about — in a truly in-depth and holistic way,” says Datta, who received a great deal of feedback and advice from readers throughout the voting period. “Even at this competitive stage, the audience reach was so much broader and more positive than anything I’ve experienced before.”
Datta plans to travel to India early next year to begin his reporting.
Thanks to everyone who voted for any one of the six proposals—we couldn’t have done this without you. We also want to acknowledge all writers who submitted proposals, and especially our six finalists: Thank you so much for your interest in Matter. We wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.
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