A tip arrives by email. What does a journalist ask before deciding to pursue it?

Is it genuinely interesting, is the topic relevant to the public, and is it a one-off — or a symptom of something larger?

Not every incoming lead is worth a story, so the first move is triage with three filters:

1. Is the input interesting / engaging? Would an audience actually care?
2. Is the topic relevant? Does it matter beyond the person who sent it?
3. Is it a single case (Einzelfall) or a pattern? A lone incident may be a minor story or none at all; the same thing happening repeatedly points to a systemic problem worth real investigation.

Only after the lead passes triage does the work begin — define the concrete next steps (step 1, step 2, …): which sources to approach, what to verify, what documents to request.

Tip: "Is this an isolated case?" is often the most valuable question — turning one complaint into "is this happening to many people?" is how small tips become significant investigations.