A man wearing a trench coat and fedora holds up a red envelope.
Max Pepper/CNN

Send a tip to CNN

How to share confidential story tips and material with our journalists

Do you have a tip or sensitive material to share with CNN? We offer several ways to reach our journalists.

We regularly review submissions, but because we receive a large number, we cannot respond to or investigate every tip.

Anatomy of a good tip

Tips should be newsworthy, meaning they concern systemic problems of timely and broad public interest. The most compelling tips are those that can be corroborated with documentation or evidence.

These channels are not for press releases. To share feedback about something you saw on CNN or CNN.com, use our feedback form.

Before reaching out

Remember that no method is completely secure and what measures you should take depend on how much anonymity you need. Before using any of these apps or tools, consider taking a few extra security precautions, including: considering whether the network you use can be used to identify you or your activity; using a secure web browser or operating system; disabling features that back data up to cloud services; and avoiding using accounts or devices linked to your name, email or phone number.

The Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) offers more detailed guides aimed at maintaining privacy and anonymity.

Email

Regular email is convenient but not secure. Do not use it if your information is sensitive or if you are concerned about someone knowing that you are a source.

For more sensitive tips, you can send email encrypted with Pretty Good Privacy (PGP). Be aware that while the content of PGP-encrypted emails is secure, metadata — such as information about the sender or recipient, time stamps and the subject — is not. Keep in mind that many email providers retain your messages unless you direct otherwise.

Several browser extensions, such as Mailvelope, Enigmail and FlowCrypt, make it easy to use PGP with existing email providers, such as Gmail. You can also use ProtonMail, an email provider that supports PGP.

For additional anonymity, set up a dedicated email address to communicate with us.

Email address: tips@cnn.com

ProtonMail address: cnn.tips@protonmail.com

Public key: B4BC 1138 6DD7 BB01 801A 2594 0486 46F7 1E7B 788C

Get ProtonMail Learn more FPF guide

SecureDrop

SecureDrop is a submission system that sources can use to share materials and messages with news organizations. SecureDrop relies on the Tor network, which is designed to obscure your IP address, and does not track or log metadata about your communications with us. SecureDrop submissions are encrypted and stored on our systems. When using SecureDrop, avoid using networks or devices that can be traced to your identity.

To send tips through SecureDrop:

  1. Visit TorProject.org and follow the instructions to download and install the Tor Browser.
  2. Launch the Tor Browser and wait for it to connect.
  3. Copy and paste the following URL into the address bar: http://qmifwf762qftydprw2adbg7hs2mkunac5xrz3cb5busaflji3rja5lid.onion or http://cnn.securedrop.tor.onion
  4. Follow the instructions to send us materials and messages.

When you make your first submission, you will receive a unique codename. Memorize your codename and use it to sign back in, check for responses from our journalists or upload additional materials.

Postal mail

Traditional first-class mail is still among the safest ways to communicate securely.

When sending tips through postal mail, don’t include a return address on the letter’s face. (If you’d like us to be able to contact you, include your contact information inside the letter.) Make sure any writing on the letter’s face is typed, not handwritten, and send your letter from a sidewalk mailbox and not your home, workplace or a post office.

Send mail to:

Tips
℅ CNN Investigates
30 Hudson Yards, Fl 21
New York, NY 10001
United States of America