The news industry thrives on tips.
But sometimes tips can be a little bizarre, especially when people want you to pay for them.
Last Sunday, I took a call from an anonymous man offering "exclusive" information about Casey Anthony — that young Florida woman found not guilty two weeks ago of killing her toddler daughter.
At first, I tried to head him off and asked him if his information would be of local interest to any of the four counties we cover. When I told him we were a community newspaper in upstate New York, he paused.
"This isn't a tabloid?" he asked.
I told him he may have confused our paper with The Daily News or The Daily Star in London.
But he delivered his pitch anyway and I played along.
"I really am scared to have this information at all," the man said.
The man, who asked to remain anonymous, said he lived "somewhere north of Orlando" and had closely followed the case.
He said he set up a fake Casey Anthony profile on Facebook as a "work of art," but had not gotten around to fill out any details or add photos.
"I went to take a shower and eat some food," he said.
When he came back, several people had sent messages to the profile, the man said.
He noted there are hundreds of similar fake profiles. But he said he was convinced that some of Anthony's close friends had sent real messages to his profile.
The man got a little squirrelly as I asked him what Anthony's "friends" had to say. He would only tell me it had to do with how Anthony was going to cut her hair short and dye it after she got out of jail. He also said he had information about her post-release plans.
"The Enquirer is extremely interested. They are on a skeleton crew right now. But they are extremely interested," the man continued.
He said he also pitched his information to the celebrity gossip website, TMZ, but said they told him they weren't interested.
Then he asked me how much The Daily Star would pay for the password to the fake Facebook profile.
I somehow was able to restrain the laughter.
"We don't pay for information," I said.
The American Red Cross is ramping up its appeals for blood donors.
In an interview with Al Lutz recently, the Oneonta Fire Department dispatcher and member of the board of directors of American Red Cross Blood Services New York-Penn Region, said summer is crucial time for blood collection. Colleges and high schools are out of session and many people are on vacation, he said.
The organization's New York-Penn Blood Services Region provides blood to 129 hospitals. To meet the demand, there must be 1,200 donors each weekday, according to a media release from the group.
Blood donations are used to save the lives of accident victims and treat patients with a host of diseases and conditions. There is no substitute for blood and volunteers are the only source, according to the Red Cross.
Jake Palmateer can be reached at 432-1000 or (800) 721-1000, ext. 221, or at jpalmateer@thedailystar.com.
