Terms and Conditions Governing the NiemanWatchdog.org Web Site

The Nieman Foundation (the “Foundation”) maintains this Web Site as a service to journalists and other users. By using this Web site , you are agreeing to comply with the following terms.

1. The Site is Proprietary to the Foundation.

Except for the Discussion section of the NiemanWatchdog.org site (discussed below), all text, images, marks, logos and other content of the site (“Site Content”) are proprietary to the Foundation. You may view, download, and print Site Content provided: (i) you may only do so for your own personal and non-commercial use; (ii) you may not modify the Site Content; (iii) any displays or printouts of the Site Content must be marked “© 2005 President & Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved;” and (iv) you may not remove any copyright, trademark, or other proprietary notices that have been placed in the Site Content by the Foundation. If you wish to request permission to reproduce or redistribute Site Content in any other way or for any other purpose, please contact the Foundation at editors@niemanwatchdog.org. 

2. The Discussion Section of the Site is an Unrestricted Forum and Content is Not Proprietary.

The Comments section of the site provides an unrestricted forum for the exchange of ideas and information by participants.  The Foundation does not monitor, edit or control the information or materials posted to the Discussion section.  It is not responsible or liable for links posted to other Web sites or the content of postings to the Discussion section, and it claims no proprietary rights to the posted information or material. The Foundation will, however, use its best efforts to identify and remove or edit posted content that it deems illegal or inappropriate to the site for any reason. The Foundation also reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to remove a participant’s privilege to post content.

By posting information or material to the Discussion section, you give up any proprietary rights you may have to this information or material.  You understand that any of it may be copied and distributed by others without your permission, and may turn up in search engines.  If you or another participant posts or distributes proprietary material such as a copyrighted article or news story written by another person, then permission from that person is required before the article or news story can be further copied or distributed.

3. By Posting to the Discussion Section, You are Agreeing to Comply with the Following Rules.

You understand and agree that postings to the Discussion section of the site are to be used only for non-commercial purposes. You may not solicit funds, promote commercial entities, or otherwise engage in commercial activity in utilizing the site.  While participants are free to communicate through the Discussion section as they see fit, you agree that: (a) you are fully responsible for the content that you post; (b) you will not knowingly post content that violates the copyright, trademark, patent or other intellectual property rights of any third party; (c) you will not post content that is libelous, defamatory, obscene, abusive, violates a person’s right to privacy, violates any applicable state, national or international law, or is otherwise inappropriate; and (d) you will post text only, and you understand that posting graphics or audio is not permitted.  Please notify editor@niemanwatchdog.org if you see any postings that you believe violate our rules.

4. You Must Register to Post to the Discussion Section.

Registration is required for those who choose to post comments on the Web site. Registration information will be used by the Foundation for administrative purposes only and will not be shared with any third parties. By law, you must be at least 13 years old to register with our Web site. When you register, if you check the box that says “Notify me of important updates on this Web site,” the Foundation will periodically send you notices of such updates. You may access your registration on the site at any time to review or change any option, including the option to receive updates. Please note that we use “cookies” to save your profile so that you will not have to log in each time you visit our site.

5. Solicited Contributions.

Those who contribute items at the request of Nieman Watchdog editors do so with the understanding that the items are their own original work. In addition, in submitting items, such contributors acknowledge that they are granting the President and Fellows of Harvard College, through the Nieman Foundation, a non-exclusive, perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free license to reproduce the items on the Web site and in any materials in other media that may be published in the future relating to the Web site, for the full term of copyright, including renewals and extensions.

6. Links to Other Sites are Not Endorsements.

The NiemanWatchdog.org site contains links to other Websites. The linked sites are not under the control of the Foundation, and the Foundation is not responsible for the privacy practices or contents of any linked sites. We provide these links as a convenience only.  A link does not imply endorsement of, sponsorship of, or affiliation with the linked site by the Foundation. Other sites, as appropriate, are welcome to link to the NiemanWatchdog.org site.

7. Limitation of Liability.

The Foundation makes no representation of any kind regarding the Site Content, including its fitness for a particular use. All Site Content is provided “as is.” Neither the Foundation nor parties who provide information and materials for publication within the Site Content will be liable for any damages arising from your use of the NiemanWatchdog.org site.

8. Applicable Law and Jurisdiction.

The NiemanWatchdog.org Web site (excluding links) is operated by the Foundation, which is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  By accessing and using this site and by posting information and materials, you and the Foundation agree that all matters arising from or relating to the use and operation of this site will be governed by the laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, without regard to its conflicts of laws principles. You agree that all claims you may have arising from or relating to the operation or use of this site will be heard and resolved in the courts of Massachusetts.