Something happened on your street, at a school board meeting, or on a job site, and you think the town should know. Good — reader tips are where many of our stories start. What separates a tip that becomes a story from one that stalls in an inbox usually comes down to three things: what you send, how you send it, and whether anyone can check it.
What Counts as a News Tip
A tip doesn't have to be a scandal. It's anything you've seen, heard, or have in hand that deserves a closer look. A pattern counts. So does a question nobody will answer — why the crosswalk on Elm Street got painted and then torn out a week later, or why an item appeared on a board agenda after the meeting had already started.
Documents you had to fight for, meeting recordings, photos taken from a sidewalk, a letter you received: any of it can start a story. Press releases and event announcements belong with our news desk, not the tips inbox.
What we can't do much with: vague rumors, secondhand grievances with no names or dates, or a demand that we "look into" an entire agency without a starting point. You don't need to have the whole story solved. You just need a thread we can pull.
What to Include in Your Tip
The most common reason a tip goes nowhere is that there's no way to ask a single follow-up question. Include your contact information even if you want to stay anonymous — anonymous and unreachable are different things.
- What happened, in the order it happened. Plain beats polished.
- When and where it happened, as precisely as you can. "Last Tuesday around 7 p.m., behind the old depot on Third Street" is more useful than "recently downtown."
- Who is involved, by name and role if you know them. If you don't know names, describe what people were wearing, driving, or doing.
- What you saw yourself versus what you heard from someone else. Both can be useful, but we need to know which is which.
- Documents, photos, recordings, or links that support the tip. Send copies, not originals. If a file is large, tell us what it is before sending.
- Why it matters to Elmwood or the surrounding area. A story doesn't need to be huge, but it should have a reason readers should care.
- What you've already tried, if anything. Did you call the city? File a records request? Ask the school? Knowing who has already said no helps us avoid repeating the same dead end.
- How to reach you, even if you don't want your name in print. A phone number, a throwaway email, or a signal that you check regularly is enough.
If you're worried about retaliation, say so. We can talk through what we will and won't publish before you decide how much to share.
How to Send a Tip
Use the tips inbox rather than a reporter's personal social media message. Tips sent to the newsroom are seen by editors, logged, and routed to the right reporter. If you have a sensitive document, ask for a secure method before attaching it to a regular email.
For time-sensitive tips — a meeting happening now, a road closure, a public safety issue — call the newsroom and say clearly that it's a tip. If you leave a voicemail, include your name, number, and the basic facts. Don't bury the point under a long greeting.
If you're mailing documents, send copies. We can't guarantee return of original materials. If you're sending digital files, label them with dates and a short description.
How We Verify Tips
Verification isn't a single check. It's a process that usually starts with a conversation and ends with independent confirmation. We ask: How do you know this? Who else saw it? What document, recording, or public record supports it? Then we try to verify each claim separately.
For documents, we look at formatting, metadata, signatures, and provenance. We compare them with public records or ask people named in them to respond. For photos and videos, we check timestamps, locations, weather, shadows, and whether the same image has appeared elsewhere. For meetings, we pull agendas, minutes, recordings, and attendee lists.
We also talk to people who might disagree. A tip that only holds up when no one else is asked isn't ready. If someone is accused of wrongdoing, we give them a fair chance to respond before publication. Sometimes that response changes the story. Sometimes it kills it. Both outcomes are useful.
We don't publish anonymous accusations as fact. We may use anonymous sources, but only when the information is important and the source has direct knowledge. Even then, an editor knows the source's identity.
If we can't verify it, we don't run it. If we can verify it, we still ask whether publishing it could cause unnecessary harm.
What Happens After You Send a Tip
You may not hear back immediately. Reporters are often out of the office, and some tips take weeks to check. If your tip is urgent, say so. If it's not, give us a few days.
When we do follow up, we'll ask clarifying questions. We may ask for documents, introductions to other witnesses, or a phone call. We may also tell you that we can't pursue the story right now — not because it doesn't matter, but because we don't have the resources, the evidence, or a clear path to publication.
If we pursue it, we'll discuss attribution. You can be on the record, on background, or anonymous. Those terms have specific meanings, and we'll explain them before you agree to anything.
How We Protect Your Identity
We take reasonable steps to protect tipsters, but no method is perfect. Regular email can be forwarded, subpoenaed, or accessed if an account is compromised. If your safety or job depends on anonymity, tell us early so we can choose a safer channel.
We don't share your contact information with other sources without permission. We don't publish your name if we've agreed to anonymity, unless the information becomes public through another route or a legal order forces disclosure. We also avoid putting details in a story that would make you identifiable to the people involved.
If you're a public employee, a contractor, or someone with a confidentiality agreement, you may have legal risks. We can't give legal advice, but we can listen and help you think through what you're comfortable sharing.
What Not to Send
Don't send anything that would put someone in immediate danger. If there's a threat to life or safety, call 911 first. Don't send stolen materials if you're unsure about the legal consequences; ask us first. Don't send a file that contains malware or a link you haven't checked. And don't send the same tip to five reporters with different details — one clear message to the tips inbox is better.
Finally, don't assume your tip is too small. The best tips often look ordinary: a receipt, a meeting agenda, a photo of a broken sign, a sentence someone said on the record. If it makes you pause and ask, "Why is this happening?" that's usually a good place to start.
Photo: Liudmyla Shalimova / Pexels
