What makes a good tip for Southampton Wire?
A strong tip for Southampton Wire is one that serves the public interest in Southampton, Hampshire or the wider South Coast. We value tips that uncover council decisions, business developments, community concerns, crime patterns, transport issues or cultural stories that are underreported. Specific, verifiable details help us assess your tip quickly.
We are particularly interested in tips that reveal how local policies affect residents, expose potential waste or misconduct, highlight unaddressed community needs, or celebrate unsung local efforts. Avoid vague rumours: the best tips include names, dates, documents, photographs or links to public records. If you have witnessed something unusual at a council meeting, noticed a pattern of road safety issues, or learned of a significant business closure, we want to hear from you. Our regional reporting policy outlines the geographic and editorial scope we cover.
How should I send my tip?
You can send tips directly to tips@southamptonwire.co.uk, newsdesk@southamptonwire.co.uk or press@southamptonwire.co.uk. For sensitive material, use tips@southamptonwire.co.uk which is monitored by the editorial team. Mark your subject line clearly, e.g. “Tip: Council budget discrepancy” or “Tip: Ongoing transport delays”.
If you are a public official, campaigner, business insider or resident with firsthand knowledge, include your preferred contact method. You may also use our general info@southamptonwire.co.uk address, but for faster routing, use the tip-specific email. We cannot accept tips via social media for verification reasons. For anonymous submissions, read our confidentiality section below. Our contact page lists all function emails and staff details.
What happens after I submit a tip?
Every tip is logged and reviewed by our editorial team, with Diane Forbes, Standards & Fact-Checking Lead (diane.forbes@southamptonwire.co.uk), overseeing verification. She ensures that all claims are checked against public records, official sources and, where possible, corroborating witnesses before any story is assigned.
Depending on the tip’s complexity, we may contact you for additional information or clarification. If the tip is timely and fits our editorial priorities, it will be assigned to the relevant reporter — Kieran Doherty for politics, Lucy Palmer for community and crime, or Oscar Brooks for business. You will not always receive a personal reply, but every submission is treated seriously. Our fact-checking policy explains the rigorous steps we take before publication.
Will my identity be protected?
We take confidentiality seriously. If you request anonymity, we will not disclose your name, job title or any identifying details to anyone outside our editorial team, including legal or advertising staff. We may still need to verify your identity internally to ensure your information is credible.
We recommend using a private email account and avoiding shared computers when sending sensitive tips. If you wish to remain completely anonymous, do not include your name in the email body or metadata. However, please understand that fully anonymous tips may be harder for Diane Forbes’s desk to verify, which can delay or limit our ability to act. For extreme cases, we can arrange encrypted communication — contact tips@southamptonwire.co.uk to request this. See our safeguarding minors policy for special protections regarding children.
What you can expect from us
When you tip Southampton Wire, your information is handled by a small, professional team dedicated to accuracy and fairness. William Ashby, Editor-in-Chief, oversees all publication decisions and corrections. Sarah Mills, Managing Editor, coordinates story assignment. Diane Forbes leads fact-checking, and every story is reviewed by an editor before going live.
We never fabricate quotes, sources or bylines — this is a core editorial principle. AI tools may assist with research or formatting, but never replace human judgement. We will not publish a story based solely on an anonymous tip without independent corroboration. If we decide not to pursue a tip, we do not share it externally. Our editorial policy and ownership and funding disclosure fully explain how we operate as an independent publisher owned by Sliema Media Limited (Malta Business Registry C 84217).
Questions or concerns?
If you have any questions about the tipping process, confidentiality or how we verify information, contact Diane Forbes directly at diane.forbes@southamptonwire.co.uk or our factcheck@southamptonwire.co.uk desk. For broader editorial concerns, reach William Ashby at william.ashby@southamptonwire.co.uk or call +44 20 4587 9486. We also maintain formal complaints and corrections procedures. Your tips help us serve Southampton, Hampshire and the South Coast honestly — thank you for trusting us.