Optimist India is built on the stories you bring to us. Whether you have spotted a change-maker in your district, want to flag an error we have made, or simply have a question about how we work, this page tells you exactly who to reach and how.
Editorial and Story Tips
We cover eight beats: Indian Achievers, Social Impact, Women & Equality, Education & Learning, Sustainability, Youth & Innovation, Healthcare & Wellness, and Culture & Heritage. Every desk wants to hear from readers who are closer to a story than we are.
Send story tips to [email protected].
How to send a tip that helps us act on it
- Tell us what changed. A good tip has a news hook — a new programme launched, a milestone reached, a problem solved in an unexpected way. “This school in Vizag has eliminated dropouts over three years” is actionable; “education is improving” is not.
- Name the people involved. The name of the organisation, the founder, the district collector, or the student at the centre of the story helps us find and verify it quickly.
- Point us to verification. A government press release, a published report, a local news clip, or a contact willing to speak on record all speed up our process enormously.
- Tell us where you heard it. Tips from people with first-hand knowledge — a teacher in the school, a resident of the village — carry extra weight.
We especially welcome tips from under-reported regions: the North-East, smaller towns in the Hindi heartland, coastal districts, and tribal areas. Positive change is happening everywhere; we simply have fewer eyes in some places than others. If you live or work somewhere we rarely cover, your tip matters more, not less.
Corrections
We take accuracy seriously and correct errors in public. If you believe something we have published is wrong, please use our corrections process. That page explains what we correct, how quickly, and how we label corrected articles. You can also write to [email protected] with “Correction” in the subject line.
Advertising and Partnerships
Optimist India is reader-supported and independent. We do carry advertising, but it is kept strictly separate from our editorial work. For display, newsletter sponsorship, or partner content enquiries, write to [email protected]. You can read about our formats, our labelling rules, and what we will not accept on our advertise page.
Privacy and Data Requests
Questions about how we collect, store, or use your data — including requests to access, correct, or delete personal information — go to [email protected]. Our full privacy policy explains our practices in plain language.
Writing for Us
We publish contributions from journalists, researchers, practitioners, and informed citizens who have something specific and verifiable to say about positive change in India. Please read our contributor guidelines before pitching. They cover what we are looking for, our sourcing standards, and how to submit.
General Feedback and Response Times
We read every message sent to our editorial address. Our aim is to reply to all substantive queries — tips with enough detail to pursue, specific questions about our journalism, correction requests — within a few working days, IST. High-volume periods (major news events, new series launches) may slow us down; we appreciate your patience.
What we can help with: story tips, errors in our coverage, questions about our editorial standards, contributor pitches, and accessibility issues. What we are not able to do: provide legal or medical advice, publish press releases as news, or take paid story placements (those enquiries belong at the advertising address above). For a full picture of who is on each desk, visit our masthead.