Getting started

Find sources with Scout

Scout, the sources assistant, finds and checks the official sources for your area, and you tick the ones to follow.

1. Open your site, go to Sources and press Ask Scout. Scout also opens right after you add a site.
2. Scout asks which town or region your site covers. Tap a suggested answer or type your own: the place (town, county or region, and country) or the topic, plus anything special, like a neighbouring county you also cover.
3. Scout saves what your site covers and your priorities (you can change both later, see Coverage and priorities), then starts looking.
4. It checks every source before suggesting it, and lists them under Scout’s finds with their latest headlines.
5. Tick the ones you want and press Add selected.

Scout looks for police, fire and emergency services, councils, state and national government, health authorities, courts, transport, utilities and universities, and their YouTube channels and social accounts. It aims for enough sources to fill your articles a day, because each official source only publishes now and then.

#What Scout does and doesn't do

• It only suggests sources it has checked and found working.
• Other news outlets can only be added as story leads, on plans that have them.
• It only adds sources your plan can follow, up to your plan's number of sources. Your own site is never added as a source.
• It can't change billing, publish articles or sign in to your website.
• Viewers on your team can read Scout's chat but can't message it.

#Messages

Each site gets a number of Scout messages that refills every 30 days:

You can usually use Scout before your trial or plan starts, with the smaller allowance. If Scout says it opens with a plan, choose one on Billing first. You can always add a source by hand. See also Scout is out of messages.