Q&A with Farhana Sabeeha
Farhana Sabeeha is a senior at the College of Arts and Sciences, where she is double majoring in Journalism and International Relations, with plans to graduate in 2026. Her work has been featured in The New Arab.
A: I wrote the story as part of my "Newsroom: From Pitch to Publish" class with Professor John Surico and Professor Whitney Dangerfield. The goal of the class was to get our work published. As a Muslim American, I've always been passionate about the Middle East: it's one of my main reporting beats. But I didn't know what angle to take for a fresh story. That's when a friend from class suggested I dig into how the recent cuts were impacting Middle Eastern Studies. It's a tried and true strategy: journalism on the secondary impacts of a policy. Initially, I was interested in how the cuts were causing a chilling effect. But after interviewing, I discovered something unexpected. Beyond stifling research, the policy was ending many students' education altogether. When you keep reporting, your idea transforms.
Q: How did the pitching process go for you?
A: Pitching was hard. I reached out to many outlets before I got that one yes. I think there's no one formula, it depends on the story. Persistence is key. When you cast a wide net of outlets, you're more likely to find the one. While pitching, I offered my story to an outlet without an education vertical. That was a mistake. Before pitching a place, research them carefully. Do they run stories like yours? That can help find the outlets that want your story. Think about the editor you're pitching to. If it's the Guardian's editor, they're receiving dozens of pitches a day. But there are other great small-scale outlets that may be looking for student pieces. Pitch both kinds of outlets. That's how I landed on mine.
Q: What did you learn during the editing process?
A: At The New Arab, editing was simple. They tweaked my headline and a sentence here and there, and it was published. Seamless. One thing I learned was patience — sometimes editors may take a while to get to your piece. It's all part of the process.
Q: What did you learn during the pitching and publishing process that you think would be helpful to other writers looking to get their work published?
A: I learned how important confidence is to this process. When facing a sea of no's, it's easy to lose faith in your story. I certainly felt it. That's when it's important to reaffirm to yourself the why. Why does your story matter? It's that why that'll keep you going. It'll push you to report deeper until your story is irresistible. Nothing can replace bold reporting, so believe in yourself and go report. Your conviction in your story will be felt in your pitch. If you can't entirely sell the story to yourself, you probably can't sell it to an editor either.
