About us
WHO WE ARE
HaRDstories is a non-profit, independent media platform focusing on in-depth, investigative stories from Thailand and the rest of Southeast Asia. Established in 2021, we cover issues often overlooked and under-reported with a particular emphasis on community issues, human rights and environmental justice.
Working exclusively with local or locally based journalists and photographers we offer a view from the ground, produced by people close to the story itself.
THE CLUE IS IN OUR NAME
In our name HaRDstories, the capitalised H, R and D stands for Human Rights Defenders, the people who lie at the heart of our stories. The topics we cover are complex, nuanced, require in-depth reporting and often can be ‘HaRD’ issues to read about and understand. But just because they are HaRD doesn’t mean we shouldn’t spend time deciphering and attempting to explain them to our readers.
OUR FOCUS
We cover issues surrounding land and natural resources, environmental challenges, gender issues, and the rights of workers and minorities. Our deeply reported stories offer sustained attention and nuanced narratives long after the mainstream media has moved on to the next topic.
OUR APPROACH
At HaRDstories, we don’t just inform; we engage and inspire. While we cast light on the challenges of communities, human rights defenders and related issues, our heart lies in sharing stories of resilience and solutions. Our stories are crafted to ignite discussions and inspire positive action, leaving readers informed and hopeful.
EMPOWERING LOCAL JOURNALISTS
It is our priority at HaRDstories to work with trusted local and locally-based freelance journalists and photographers to interpret these complex issues for the wider audience and 100 percent of our stories are produced by them.
COLLABORATIONS
We regularly work alongside partners on specific projects who offer support in terms of grants and technical support in order to produce our stories. These have included Internews, The Pulitzer Center and The International Center for Journalism (ICFJ). If you would like to collaborate with us do get in touch!
OUR CORE TEAM
Our founding team consists of photojournalist Luke Duggleby, editor Fabian Drahmoune, editor Teeranai Charuvastra and journalist Nicha Wachpanich. Yet, ultimately HaRDstories is a collective of dedicated freelance journalists, photographers, graphic designers and translators. United by a shared vision, they collaborate to elevate the conversation around human rights, working to inspire a more informed, engaged, and compassionate society.
Overseeing HaRDstories is the international board of the Equal Narratives Foundation, a registered not-for-profit organisation based in the Netherlands. The board members include Arjan Van der Waal, Nadja Houben and Lizzie Presser.
OUR COMMITMENT
We’re anchored in the belief that quality journalism is key to advocating for complicated issues, such as human rights, in helping strengthen democracy. HaRDstories serves as a hub for insights on human rights, community issues and environmental justice, with a mission to provide detailed and accurate information, ensuring accessibility for all – the public, journalists, scholars, activists, and those in the corridors of power.
VISION
Our vision is to become the depository for explaining complex human rights, community and environmental issues from the diverse Southeast Asian region. By giving them the centre stage, not losing them amongst the mundane, we provide a permanent home for these extraordinary people and the challenges they face.
CREATIVE COMMONS
Unless specified, HaRDstories articles are licensed under Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0). You are free to republish our articles produced and published by HaRDstories.org under this Creative Commons licence.
We hope to increase access and visibility to coverage of human rights and environmental issues in Southeast Asia and want to be part of promoting a common understanding of the challenges facing media reporting in the region. We therefore encourage you to republish our content under this licence by notifying us at editor@HaRDstories.org to gain our consent and following the guidelines below:
- The articles must be published in their entirety and may not be edited or changed in any way except to reflect relative changes in time, location, or basic editorial style.
- You must credit the author of the original article in the byline, HaRDstories.org as the source and must provide a link back to the original story on our website. Source links embedded in the original story must also be kept.
- Our stories are available in English and Thai and cannot be translated into any other language without prior consent. If you want to translate one of our stories please contact us directly.
- You may not benefit from any commercial gain by selling our material separately or publishing behind a paywall. Our content must be available to all.
- The photography and infographics, including maps, published in a particular article are available to be published also but only alongside the original story itself. Please refrain from changing or editing the visual content in any way and always credit the photographer and designer, as per the original captions and credits. If you are unsure please email us directly to ask.
Writing for HaRDstories
HaRDstories invites contributions from locally based journalists and photographers. We’re dedicated to sharing insightful stories on human rights and the courageous efforts of defenders and community groups in Southeast Asia.
Our Focus
We prioritize content that centres on land rights, natural resources, labour rights, empowerment, rights suppression, gender equality, minority rights, and environmental pollution. Before proposing a story, please explore our website to ensure your content aligns with our themes.
Story Criteria:
- Focus on individuals or groups driving positive change
- Enhance readers’ insights on human rights issues in the region
- Minimum length of 1,200 words for articles
- Accompanied by high-quality photography
- Can be feature-length stories, profiles, or photo-stories
- Content in Thai, English or both is preferred
Inclusivity:
We especially welcome content from underrepresented groups and stories that highlight subjects often overlooked by mainstream media.
How to Pitch to Us
Pitch Guidelines:
- Submit brief pitches of no more than 400 words
- Include up to ten photographs for photo stories
- Do not send complete drafts unless it’s a finished photo story
- Include work samples and website links if available
- Pitches in both Thai and English are accepted
Response Time:
If you haven’t received a response within a week, feel free to follow up.
Editorial Process:
HaRDstories maintains editorial independence. Our editors have the final say on all content, ensuring it adheres to our in-house style and offers clarity. Contributors are expected to verify the accuracy and originality of their submissions.
For more information email us at editor[at]hardstories[dot]org
Connect with us
Your insights, questions, and support are invaluable to us. You can reach us at info[at]hardstories[dot]org and we will reply to your queries and discuss any potential collaboration opportunities.
How to Reach Us
Your insights, questions, and support are invaluable to us. Use the form below to get in touch. We are ready to answer your queries and discuss collaboration opportunities
