When using a caller on the air, it is imperative that we determine the person's relationship to the story and we must establish a confidence that the caller is in a position to offer legitimate eyewitness or insider information about the news event.
Eyewitnesses are more reliable if the station initiates the call.
In breaking news, use the Internet, Pro Phone, or the Criss Cross to find people in the area of the news event who might have an eyewitness account of what is happening. If a phone caller contacts 9News with breaking news information, the staff person must try to establish the motive of the phone source and take those motives into account when evaluating the integrity of the call. If you receive a phone call from someone who claims to have urgent information, ask for a phone number so that you can return the call in an attempt to verify the information. Most callers are actually searching for more information when they call the station in a breaking news event. Ask questions that will verify the phone caller's proximity to thc breaking news and investigate if the phone caller can identify individuals who might be involved the news event.