News orgs solicit anonymous tips amid Comey firing

In response to the unexpected firing of FBI Director James Comey Tuesday, major news organizations tweeted out links to secure hotlines where anyone with knowledge of information around the controversy could anonymously submit tips. They include the New Yorker, Washington Post, USA Today, Wired, Vice and more.

Here's why: The abrupt firing of Comey is likely to raise concerns with many officials, perhaps even some in the White House, and could prompt them to leak information to the press. A plethora of leaks since Trump's election shows the administration is not united behind many of the president's decisions.

The trend: News organizations have been promoting anonymous tip hotlines since Trump took office and leaks from his Administration started to become more frequent. Gizmodo bought ads earlier this year, targeted at government employees, to get them to submit anonymous tips.

Here are a list of all news organizations with Secure Drop accounts: https://securedrop.org/directory