A Note for Aspiring Gumshoes
Since HumaneWatch had its launch in February, literally hundreds of readers have sent us tips, documents, and other unsolicited material pertaining to the Humane Society of the United States. Which is great, because (as the old saying goes) we don't know what we don't know.
But recently we've received more than a few pieces of video, collections of photographs, and the like. If you want HumaneWatch to make good use of such materials, here's what we need:
- Time and date stamps: Having a photo or video of animals supposedly under HSUS's care is next to meaningless unless we know when it was taken. The best option is to have your camera embed the date and time in the image itself.
- Location, location, location: If, for instance, you shoot some video of an HSUS staffer in a physical altercation with someone, we need to know exactly where the footage was shot. GPS coordinates are helpful, but a simple description will usually do nicely.
- Contact information: We will be happy to protect the identity of tipsters, but we will not publish amateur video or documentary images unless we know who sent them. So if you send a videotape to the HumaneWatch post office box, be sure to include your name and a contact phone number. No exceptions.
Is everyone on the same page now? Fantastic! Let's move forward.