CJ Lester Investigates is committed to protecting the identity and safety of every person who shares information with us in confidence. The trust of our sources is the foundation of credible local journalism and we take that responsibility seriously. We will never knowingly reveal the identity of a confidential source under any circumstances.

What Confidential Means

When a source shares information with CJ Lester Investigates in confidence it means their identity will never be revealed in our reporting, in public statements, on social media, or in private conversation. A promise of confidentiality is a binding commitment and will be honored without exception.

How We Handle Tips

Every tip received by CJ Lester Investigates is treated as a lead, not a story. No information shared in confidence will ever be published directly. Instead we use tips to guide our research, open records requests, and document gathering. The story is always built on verified records and documents, never on the tip itself.

How We Protect Your Identity

We take the following steps to protect every confidential source. We delete identifying messages and conversations after recording the necessary details. We do not discuss tips or sources with anyone outside of our reporting process. We do not store source information in unsecured locations. We never reference the existence of a tip in our published reporting. We build every story around documents and records so the source of our information is always the evidence itself.

What We Publish

When reporting on information obtained through confidential tips CJ Lester Investigates will only publish what can be independently verified through public records, documents, or on the record sources. Our standard language will be "records obtained by CJ Lester Investigates reveal..." so that the documentation carries the story, not unnamed individuals.

Reaching Out for Comment

Before publishing any investigative report CJ Lester Investigates will always contact the subject of the story and provide a reasonable window, typically 48 hours, to respond. If no response is received that will be noted in the published report. This protects both the integrity of our reporting and the fairness of our coverage.

Your Rights as a Source

If you share information with CJ Lester Investigates you have the right to know how your information will be used before you share it. You have the right to set the terms of your confidentiality before speaking with us. You have the right to tell us what you are and are not comfortable with us reporting. You have the right to trust that we will honor every commitment we make to you.

A Note from CJ Lester

Local journalism only works when people feel safe enough to speak up. If you see something wrong in our community and you want someone to look into it, I want you to know that your trust is safe with me. I will always let the records do the talking and I will never put you at risk to get a story. That is my personal commitment to every source who brings information to CJ Lester Investigates.

CJ Lester CJ Lester Investigates Covering Newton, Rockdale, and Walton Counties