ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom focused on revealing injustices and abuses of power. Our stories are often fueled by tips and evidence from readers.
If you have information or documents that you can share, we want to hear from you. This page details what we look for in a tip and the secure communication tools we use to get information from people like you.
This page is not for general feedback or story ideas. You can see other ways to contact us here.
Common Questions About Sending Tips
Here are the answers to some questions we often get — including how to contact us confidentially. We take your privacy very seriously.
What, exactly, should I send you? What makes a good tip?
It’s helpful if your tip is specific and includes evidence you can share that backs you up. This could be text messages, emails, documents, receipts, photos, reports, the identities of people who know more, and more.
There are a few things we look for when we’re reading through a tip:
- Information that isn’t already known. Telling us the hidden story of what’s actually going on with a company, organization or person in power can be really helpful. We’re less interested in stories that have already been published, unless there’s some angle that hasn’t been explored.
- Evidence that powerful people are doing something they shouldn’t — and that’s causing significant harm.
- Specifics and receipts. Giving us specifics about exactly how a person or organization is acting unethically is more helpful to us than guesswork about their shenanigans. And it’s even better if you can share documents, texts or photos.
What precautions will you take to protect my identity and information?
We understand you may be taking a risk in contacting us. We take your privacy extremely seriously.
We collect tips using encrypted forms and apps. That means the messages cannot be read by anybody other than you and ProPublica.
Keep in mind that sending things from work computers, through work email addresses or on work Wi-Fi networks can create additional risks because many corporate and government accounts log web traffic.
What are you going to do with the information I send you?
We review every single tip. Then journalists flag the most promising ones and try to verify them. If we see potential for a story, we will likely try to contact you at that point. Since we’re an investigative newsroom, we work on longer timelines than many other news organizations do. You may hear from us days, weeks, months or even years after you initially reached out.
I want to contact a reporter who knows about a particular topic. How can I find them?
Each reporter has a bio page where they talk about the topics they’re currently covering and the specific types of tips they’re looking for. That’s also where you’ll find out how they prefer to be contacted, including through encrypted methods of communication like Signal.
Submit a Tip
Reach Out to Us Using Signal
Our general tips number on Signal is 917-512-0201. Signal is a messaging app that offers end-to-end encryption for sharing text, photos, videos and calls. It is available for mobile and desktop clients. You can set messages up to disappear from your phone after a set length of time.
Put Something in the Mail
Sending something by U.S. mail without including a return address is one of the most secure ways to communicate. Authorities would need a warrant to intercept it in transit and open it.
For better security, you can mail your package or envelope from an unfamiliar sidewalk box instead of your company or agency mailroom. A sidewalk box is also subject to less surveillance than a post office. You can mail us paper materials or digital files on, for example, a thumb drive.
SecureDrop Can Offer Extra Digital Security
SecureDrop is the most secure and anonymous way to share information or files with us electronically. Used properly, it shields your identity even from us.
Our SecureDrop servers are under the direct physical control of ProPublica. When you use SecureDrop, we are unable to record your IP address or information about your browser, computer or operating system. All files submitted to our SecureDrop servers are encrypted as they are received; submissions are initially decrypted and viewed on a computer that has never been connected to the internet. Unless you give us your name or other identifying information, we will not know who you are.
You will need to download the Tor browser from https://www.torproject.org/ to connect to ProPublica's SecureDrop server. Once you’ve got Tor running, it can be as easy to use as a normal web browser.
For the highest level of privacy, you can use Tor and visit our SecureDrop using a public Wi-Fi network, rather than your home or work internet connection. For extra security, you can also boot your computer from a USB key containing Tails (https://tails.boum.org/), a secure operating system that does not leave any trace of your Tails activity on the computer you are using; the Tor browser is included in the Tails operating system.
- Visit TorProject.org and follow the directions to download and install the Tor browser.
- Launch the Tor browser and allow it to connect. Then wait for a page that says a connection has been established.
- Enter the following URL into the Tor address bar:
http://propublica.securedrop.tor.onion/ - Follow the instructions on that website to send us files and messages. When you use the site, you will get a code name, which is your login for SecureDrop. You can come back and log in with this code name to submit more information and see if we have sent a response to you.
- The SecureDrop links
http://propublica.securedrop.tor.onion/andhttp://33xu4yhum2eiisxm6fntaslayop76fvaqgt3ak5dakdm3t7cub25cead.onion/are only accessible via Tor, and we do not recommend using any other website or software to visit our SecureDrop system.