I write about sexuality, sex work, artificial intelligence, and how all sorts of communities exist on the internet.
Sometimes when I’m reporting within communities that are historically mistreated by society or the press, sources request evidence that I’m not sliding into DMs or chat servers with the intention of disturbing their peace—but to genuinely understand what they’re about.
You can view some of my recent clip highlights and published treatment of sensitive topics here.
helpful notes for speaking to a journalist:
- If you want to share something “off the record” or “on background,” ask first! These words are not magic, and don’t make everything you say after them unquotable. But if you want to share something and don’t want to be directly quoted, these are great options to discuss. Survivors Against SESTA put together an excellent guide for talking to the press that applies to everyone.
- Let me know how you want to be cited. If we’re discussing a sensitive topic, there’s a very good chance you can remain anonymous.
- I will always ask for your pronouns. I will never ask for your specific location, age, “legal name” or other identifying features unless they’re relevant to your story.
- If you have something to share that’s particularly sensitive, email me using an encrypted Protonmail address: samleecole@protonmail.ch. I don’t check this box often, so if it’s time-sensitive, you should text me securely on the Signal messaging app at +1646-926-1726.
- You are never obligated to speak to a reporter. If you don’t have time, aren’t interested, or just don’t want to talk to me, you can always say no.
samleecole.com 