Got a story to tell?

Some of my favorite stories—about injustice, conflict or little-known triumphs—come from random tips. If you’re a reader, tech employee, or simply a curious person with a story to tell, please get in touch with me. Freedom of the Press Foundation has written about how to minimize risks for sharing sensitive information.

• I have open DMs on Twitter. If you’d like to speak via encrypted messaging apps like Signal, please DM me on Twitter for my phone number.

• For sensitive matters, my encrypted e-mail is coryweinberg@protonmail.com. My work e-mail is cory@theinformation.com. My personal email is coryweinberg630@gmail.com.

Want to speak ‘off the record’?

People often distrust the news they read, especially in this era. Readers often benefit most when the information is shared “on the record", meaning the source’s name and title are cited, for full transparency.

But a lot of important information only sees the light of day if sources can trust that reporters will keep their identities confidential. I’m experienced in this area.

We should be on the same page regarding the terms of our conversation. Often, people ask to speak “off the record.” That means we would agree that the information we discuss should remain private—I cannot share it with others or use it in a story. A different parameter is speaking “on background.” That means that I can publish the information we discuss, but under pre-determined conditions on how to cite the information, such as “a former employee” or “a person with direct knowledge of the matter.”

The New York Times has written about what these terms mean in more depth, and I am happy to discuss the nuances further.