News tip ownership

So here's a strange one.

We get an email from a "freelancer" who wants to write a story for our publication. A festival the city put on came up woefully short financially, costing the taxpayers in the ballpark of $13K. How the freelancer learned this is unknown, but she is looking for us to run her story.

Here's the kicker: She's a currently employee/editor for the local Patch site. Also unknown is why she is offering for us to run the story when she could just write it for her site. It certainly will be well read.

I don't know her from a hole in the wall, so anything she submits would have to be thoroughly vetted, meaning we'd essentially have to spend just as many resources fact-checking the story as we would writing it ourselves.

So here's the question: If we don't see this on the local Patch site, and now we know this information, when can we started doing our own digging? We're not trying to step on anybody's toes. It's her story. Going forward immediately is unethical. But how much time is enough time before it's a "shit-of-get-off-the-pot" situation?

 

I’d be wary if her Patch publication isn’t going to run it. There has to be a reason she’s pitching it to you, and I’d want to know her motivation.

 

Agree fully. Not sure what this motivation is, but if this story is true, it’s all public record and can be checked by our own reporters.

 

If she gave you all those details she stopped becoming a freelancer and started becoming a source.
Dig away.

 

Maybe give her $100, call it an editorial and put at the bottom, "the views of Ms X and not necessarily the views of this paper."

 

I wouldn't be too worried about Patch not running it...wait, Patch still exists?

Anyway, it's a voice of the Chamber no doubt so hardly the sort of place that runs exposes that pokes at the town powers that be.

 

Look into it yourself and scoop her. She works for Patch, a competing news organizations. It's fair game.