1. Purpose of the tip line
SA Verified News provides a public tip line so members of the public can share information that may be newsworthy or in the public interest. Tips help us identify stories; they are not automatic publications and they are not a substitute for emergency services or formal legal complaints to authorities.
2. What to send
Useful tips typically include:
- what happened (or is planned), with as much specificity as possible;
- when and where events occurred;
- who was involved, if known;
- how you know (documents, first-hand observation, etc.); and
- any documents, links, or evidence you can lawfully share.
Do not break the law to obtain information. Do not send content you are not allowed to disclose (for example certain classified materials, or data obtained by unlawful hacking). If you are unsure, describe the issue at a high level and ask us how to proceed safely.
3. Choose how you submit
- Anonymous: the form does not collect identity or contact fields. Do not identify yourself in the tip text or file metadata. We cannot ask follow-up questions, which can make verification harder.
- Confidential: a full or preferred name, email or phone/WhatsApp number, preferred contact method, and follow-up permission are required. The newsroom uses these details privately for verification and does not publish them without a separate agreement.
- On the record: the same identity and contact details are required, together with your relationship to the story. This selection allows follow-up but does not itself permit publication of your name, image or quotation. A journalist confirms attribution with you.
Absolute anonymity cannot be guaranteed in all circumstances (for example legal compulsion, technical compromise, or if you reveal identity in the message body). We take reasonable steps to protect tip materials and to limit internal access to staff who need to evaluate the tip.
4. Confidentiality and source protection
Confidential-mode identity is protected from publication. If reporting will rely on you as a confidential source, a responsible editor records the scope of that undertaking. A tip submission is a lead and does not promise publication, payment, legal representation or personal security.
We resist improper attempts to compel disclosure of confidential sources, consistent with South African law and journalistic ethics. We cannot promise to defy a valid court order; we will seek legal advice where appropriate.
5. How we use tips
We may:
- store and review the tip in our systems;
- investigate independently using other sources;
- contact you through the method you permitted;
- decline to pursue the tip without notice; or
- use verified information in reporting, subject to law, editorial ethics, source commitments and separately confirmed attribution.
We do not promise payment for tips. We do not promise to return materials.
6. Privacy
The form records the selected privacy mode, story information, any required contact details, policy version and acceptance, and attachment metadata. Personal information and uploaded images or videos are processed under our Privacy Policy and Source & Evidence Policy. Unactioned tips are reviewed for deletion after 24 months; material used for reporting is ordinarily retained for seven years after last material use, subject to legal holds and public-interest archive needs.
7. Your safety
If you are in immediate danger, contact local emergency services. If sharing information could put you at severe risk, do not use a work device or account controlled by the subject of the tip and consider obtaining independent legal or safety advice. We cannot provide personal security.
8. Images, video and other evidence
You must be at least 18 and confirm that you may lawfully provide uploaded files. Do not submit malware, hacked data, unlawfully intercepted material, non-consensual intimate imagery, or sexual material involving a child. Files are stored privately and reviewed only by authorised personnel. See the Source & Evidence Policy.
9. False or malicious tips
Knowingly providing false information intended to harm others or waste newsroom resources may have legal consequences. We may preserve and share information with authorities where required or where we reasonably believe there is a serious threat.
10. Contact and privacy rights
Tip line: use the form on this website (before the footer on every page).
Newsroom: newsroom@saverifiednews.co.za
Privacy: privacy@saverifiednews.co.za
Privacy request procedure: exercise your POPIA rights