Contribute to Phila.FYI

Phila.FYI is a community publication. We cover Philadelphia from the ground up -- which means the best stories often come from people who live here, work here, and notice things that the big outlets miss.

If you have a tip, a story idea, or something happening in your neighborhood that deserves attention, we want to hear about it.

What makes a good contribution

Local angle. We cover Philadelphia, not the region in general. The more specific the location -- a block, a neighborhood, a single institution -- the better. "Something weird is happening at the old Strawbridge's site" is more useful to us than "development in Center City."

Specific details. Dates, names, addresses, documents. If you saw something, tell us exactly what you saw and when. If you have a document, attach it. Vague tips are hard to follow up on. Concrete ones get acted on.

Timeliness. Breaking news, upcoming events, decisions that are about to be made -- these are more actionable than things that happened months ago. If something is developing right now, don't sit on it.

Things that affect regular people. School closings, construction that's been going on too long, a landlord who isn't fixing heat, a local business that just opened or just shut down. The city is full of stories that matter to residents and never make it into print. That's exactly what we're here for.

What happens next

We read everything that comes in. Not every tip turns into a story -- sometimes the details don't pan out, or we've already covered it, or the timing isn't right. But we take every submission seriously and follow up when we can.

If you want to stay anonymous, say so. We protect our sources.