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These Contributor Network Terms of Service (these “Terms”) constitute a binding Agreement between you and Particle Media, Inc., a Delaware corporation, its subsidiaries, and affiliated companies (collectively, “NewsBreak” or “we”) that governs your participation in our Contributor Network and use of our Contributor Services. “Contributor Services” means the services accessible via the NewsBreak Contributor Network, through which your original content may be visible and accessible to the users of our website at www.newsbreak.com, our mobile application “NewsBreak,” newsletters, and other products or services owned or operated by NewsBreak.
These Terms include and incorporate NewsBreak’s Terms of Use (the “General Terms of Use”), Privacy Policy, and all other terms, conditions, policies, and documentation that are referred to herein and therein, including, without limitation, our Community Standards, Contributor Content Requirements, Contributor Code of Conduct, Contributor Monetization Policy, and, if applicable and provided to you, our Monetization Terms (collectively, these Terms and all such others, the “Agreements”).
BY PARTICIPATING IN THE CONTRIBUTOR NETWORK AND USING OR OTHERWISE ACCESSING THE CONTRIBUTOR SERVICES, YOU AGREE TO THE AGREEMENTS, WHICH MIGHT BE AMENDED FROM TIME TO TIME. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE OR CANNOT COMPLY WITH TO THE AGREEMENTS, PLEASE DO NOT PARTICIPATE IN THE CONTRIBUTOR NETWORK OR USE OR OTHERWISE ACCESS THE CONTRIBUTOR SERVICES.
THESE AGREEMENTS REQUIRE THE USE OF BINDING INDIVIDUAL ARBITRATION TO RESOLVE DISPUTES RATHER THAN JURY TRIALS OR ACTIONS. YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THE CONTRIBUTOR NETWORK OR USE OF THE CONTRIBUTOR SERVICES IS VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.
You need to register for an account to access our Contributor Services. Please safeguard your password to the account, and keep your account information current. NewsBreak recommends that you do not share your password with others. You are not allowed to transfer your account without our permission.
If you use the Contributor Services on behalf of a company, organization, or other entity, then (a) you represent and warrant that you are an authorized representative of the entity with authority to bind the entity to the Agreements and that you agree to the agreements on the entity’s behalf, and (b) the word “you” includes you and such entity. If you are accepting the Agreements and using the Contributor Services on behalf of someone else (such as another person or entity), you represent and warrant that you’re authorized to do so, and in that case, the words “you” or “your” in the Agreements include that other person or entity.
Any use or access to the Contributor Services by anyone under the age of 18 is prohibited and in violation of the Agreements. By using the Contributor Services, you affirm that you are over 18 years old.
Subject to the terms of the Agreements, NewsBreak hereby grants you a limited, revocable, non-exclusive, non-sublicensable, and non-transferable license to access and use the Contributor Services to submit your original content (the “Content”) to the Contributor Services and make available the Content on the Contributor Services. This license may be revoked by NewsBreak at any time for any reason, with or without notice.
We reserve all rights that are not explicitly granted under these Agreements. These Agreements do not grant you any ownership right, title, or interest in the Contributor Services, any right, title, or interest of other users’ content on the Contributor Services, or our trademarks, logos, or other brand features.
You hereby grant to NewsBreak a worldwide, perpetual, transferable, sublicensable, royalty-free, irrevocable license to use, copy, reproduce, distribute, publicly display and perform, store, tag, transmit, modify, edit, adapt, disassemble, publish, translate, and create derivative works from the Content, including, without limitation, texts, photographs, images, videos, media, and other works in the Content and any portion thereof, for any purpose in connection with NewsBreak’s services and business, including but not limited to, the right to (1) make the Content available on the Contributor Services, (2) abridge, summarize or format the Content, (3) advertise around the Content, (4) provide, promote, and improve the Contributor Services or our products and other services, (5) make the Content available to other companies, organizations, or individuals for the syndication, broadcast, distribution, repost, promotion, or publication of the Content or business on other media and services, and (6) license the Content to advertisers for incorporation into advertisements.
You hereby represent and warrant that (i) you have the full license, power, right and authority to grant the rights to NewsBreak as granted herein, and that the exercise by NewsBreak of such rights shall not violate the rights of any third party; (ii) you are not subject to any obligation which will or might hinder or prevent the completion or performance by you of any of you obligations; (iii) your Content does not contain material that is false, spam, intentionally misleading, or defamatory; (iv) your Content does not infringe the intellectual property rights, or proprietary rights, privacy rights, or any other rights of any person or entity; (v) your Content does not contain any unlawful content, including illegal hate speech or pornography, exploit or otherwise harm minors, violate or advocate the violation of any law or regulation; (vi) your Content does not violate NewsBreak’s regulations and policies, including but not limited to our Community Standards; (vii) your Content and the process and mechanism by which your Content is made available to NewsBreak is free of infection from any viruses or other code or computer programming routines that contain contaminating or destructive properties or that are intended to damage, surreptitiously intercept or expropriate any system, data or information; and (viii) your website includes a terms of use, privacy policy and your contact information. You covenant that, during the Term, the foregoing representations and warranties shall continue to be true and correct.
You hereby warrant and represent i) you do not collect NewsBreak’s user's personal information, ii) you comply with all data protection and privacy laws, and iii) if you link back to your website, your website applies the same standard privacy policy with NewsBreak’s privacy policy (https://www.newsbreak.com/privacy).
As explained in Contributor Monetization Policy, once you meet NewsBreak’s minimum eligibility requirements for monetization, you can apply to receive revenue for your qualifying Content. After you complete the application and are accepted for monetization, you must agree to the Monetization Terms to receive any payment.
You are responsible for paying any applicable taxes owed as a result of receiving any payments from NewsBreak. Nothing in these Agreements or any communications from NewsBreak should be construed as tax advice. You should consult with your tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of receiving grants. Unless required by law, we will not withhold taxes. You understand that you must provide certain tax documentation upon request to receive the payment.
You agree not to disclose to any third party any Confidential Information (as defined below) of NewsBreak that you may receive. “Confidential Information” means information marked as confidential or normally considered confidential or proprietary under the circumstances, including, without limitation, information regarding our businesses, operations, prospective marketing and promotional activities, and Monetization Terms. Confidential Information will not include information that is publicly known or rightfully received from a third party with no confidentiality restrictions.
You grant to us and our affiliates a non-exclusive, worldwide, perpetual (or for the maximum term permitted under applicable law), transferable, sublicensable, fully paid-up, and royalty-free license to use your name, image, likeness, trade names, trademarks, logos, and service marks for any purpose in connection with NewsBreak’s services and business, including, without limitation, to publicize your participation in the Contributor Network.
NewsBreak may, in our sole discretion, determine any Content to be hosted on our Contributor Services and remove some or all of the Content for any reason.
You acknowledge that our decision to place any Content on the Contributor Services does not mean that we have reviewed the Content or have agreed to be liable for the Content, and you agree that you shall remain solely responsible for your Content at all times.
Any feedback that you may provide to us shall be deemed to be non-confidential. NewsBreak shall be free to use such feedback unrestrictedly without any obligation to you.
THE CONTRIBUTOR SERVICES ARE PROVIDED ON AN “AS-IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, WARRANTIES OF TITLE OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF NON-INFRINGEMENT, MERCHANTABILITY, OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. SPECIFICALLY, BUT WITHOUT LIMITATION, NEWSBREAK DOES NOT WARRANT THAT: (I) THE CONTRIBUTOR SERVICES ARE FREE OF ERRORS; (II) THE FUNCTIONS OR FEATURES (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO MECHANISMS FOR THE DOWNLOADING AND UPLOADING OF CONTENT) WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, SECURE, OR FREE OF ERRORS; (III) DEFECTS WILL BE CORRECTED; OR (IV) THE CONTRIBUTOR SERVICES OR THE SERVER(S) THAT MAKE THE CONTRIBUTOR SERVICES AVAILABLE ARE FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS.
UNDER THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE NEWSBREAK PARTIES SHALL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, PUNITIVE, OR OTHER DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF REVENUES, LOST PROFITS, LOST DATA, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING IN ANY WAY TO THE AGREEMENTS, THESE AGREEMENTS, THE CONTRIBUTOR NETWORK, OR THE CONTRIBUTOR SERVICES, WHETHER BASED ON WARRANTY, CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY, AND WHETHER OR NOT ANY NEWSBREAK PARTY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL THE NEWSBREAK PARTIES IN THE AGGREGATE BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY CLAIM ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE AGREEMENTS, THESE AGREEMENTS, THE CONTRIBUTOR NETWORK, OR THE CONTRIBUTOR SERVICES IN EXCESS OF THE GREATER OF (1) $100 OR (2) THE AMOUNT WE PAY YOU IN CONNECTION WITH THE CONTRIBUTOR SERVICES IN THE THREE-MONTHS PRECEDING THE APPLICABLE CLAIM.
Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain warranties or the limitation or exclusion of liability for certain types of damages. Accordingly, some of the above limitations and disclaimers may not apply to you. To the extent that NewsBreak or any other NewsBreak Party may not, as a matter of applicable law, disclaim any warranty or limit its liability as set forth herein, the scope and duration of such warranty and the extent of NewsBreak’s and such NewsBreak Party’s liability shall be the minimum permitted under such applicable law.
Unless otherwise prohibited by law, the Parties agree that any dispute must be filed within one year after the relevant claim arose; otherwise, the dispute is permanently barred, which means that you and NewsBreak will not have the right to assert the claim if such dispute is not filed within one year.
You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold NewsBreak, its parent, related and affiliated entities, and their respective directors, employees, agents, licensees or licensors, successors, and assigns (collectively, the “NewsBreak Parties”) harmless from and against all claims, liabilities, demands, actions, causes of action, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and court costs) arising out of or relating in any way to (1) participation in the Contributor Network and use of the Contributor Services by you (and anyone doing so using your account), (2) your Content (and any information and content submitted through your account), (3) violation, or alleged violation, by you of the Agreements, and (4) violation, or alleged violation, of any rights of any other person or entity by you (or anyone doing so using your Account). You also agree that NewsBreak will have control of the defense or settlement of any third-party claims at NewsBreak’s sole option.
NewsBreak reserves the right to modify or discontinue, temporarily or permanently, the Contributor Services (or any part thereof), with or without notice. You agree that NewsBreak shall not be liable to you or any third party for any modification, suspension, or discontinuance of the Contributor Services. If we terminate your right to access the Contributor Services, these Agreements will terminate, and all rights you have to access the Contributor Services will immediately terminate; however, provisions of these Agreements will still apply post-termination, including but not limited to “Confidentiality,” “Our Rights,” “No Warranties; Limitation of Liability,” “Indemnity,” “Arbitration,” “Governing Law and Venue.” Terminating your account may also include, at NewsBreak's sole discretion, the deletion of your account and/or advertiser profile.
Your relationship with NewsBreak will be that of an independent contractor, not an employee. You shall defend, indemnify, and hold NewsBreak Parties harmless from any allegation or determination by a court of agency that you are an employee.
Notwithstanding any other provisions, NewsBreak has the right to terminate your participation in the Contributor Network or use of the Contributor Services at any time. NewsBreak may change, terminate, or restrict access to any aspect of the Contributor Network or Contributor Services at any time, with or without notice. Nothing in these Agreements shall restrict or limit our rights to use any of your content or marks that constitutes existing rights under applicable laws.
Our platform is dedicated to fostering vibrant, connected communities through trusted local news and information. We emphasize content excellence and cutting-edge technology to help ensure users receive timely and reliable information. We value contributions that enrich lives with locally relevant content, focusing on utility, innovation, aspiration, and compassion. Together with our publishing partners, we address community concerns that impact lives.
Our success relies on adherence to shared principles and guidelines. We prioritize transparency to combat disinformation and reject undue influence and extremism. Our commitment to inclusivity involves rejecting discrimination and promptly correcting errors.
These guidelines complement our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy. Non-compliance may result in disciplinary actions, including decreased distribution or removal from the platform. We reserve the right to take any action on content or profiles at our discretion. These example of violative behavior are not all-encompassing and may include other behavior.
We strive to create a safe environment for engaging with credible local news and sharing perspectives, rooted in:
These principles aim to strengthen community bonds and foster trust.
Hateful Behavior
NewsBreak is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive community. We do not tolerate discrimination, hate speech, or the promotion of hateful ideologies. We do not allow:
Editorial coverage of newsworthy incidents involving these subjects is allowed with relevant context. This policy helps ensure that NewsBreak remains a platform that promotes inclusivity and safety for all users. See more details on how we fight hateful behavior in our Safety Center here.
Violent Extremism
Terrorists and related organizations are not permitted to use NewsBreak for any reason, including recruitment. Content shared in editorial coverage of newsworthy events that do not promote terrorism, and where clear context is established, may be allowed. NewsBreak does not allow:
Exceptions for educational, documentary, scientific, or creative contexts with clear, non-promotional intent.
Promotion of Illegal Activity and Regulated Goods
While we allow editorial coverage of newsworthy events, content that could directly facilitate or promote illegal activities is not permitted. NewsBreak does not allow:
Incitement of Violence
We prioritize preventing offline harm related to NewsBreak content. While we support freedom of expression and tolerate hyperbolic speech as a form of disagreement, we reserve the right to remove content and disable accounts if there is a genuine risk of physical harm or credible threats to public safety. NewsBreak does not allow:
Promotion of Suicide, Self-harm, and Eating Disorders
NewsBreak cares about community wellness. While we support sharing personal experiences to raise awareness and find support, we do not allow content that promotes suicide, self-harm, eating disorders, or drug abuse.
Harassment and Bullying
Everyone deserves a harassment-free experience on NewsBreak. We prohibit content that targets individuals with harassment, bullying, or threats, including sexual harassment and derogatory language.
Additionally, we take a severe stance against the sharing of Non-Consensual Intimate Visual Depictions (NCIVD), including AI-generated imagery. We remove this content upon reporting and penalize accounts that share it. NewsBreak is committed to proactive enforcement, including moderator training and automated detection measures, to prevent the spread of NCIVD.
If you encounter NCIVD content, please report it to compliance@newsbreak.com immediately. We are dedicated to protecting individuals from harm and ensuring compliance with evolving legal standards.
Promotion of Dangerous Acts
Content that encourages untrained amateurs to perform dangerous stunts or activities, posing risks to themselves or others, is not permitted.
Endangering Minors
We protect minors' safety. Content that endangers or exploits minors, depicts violence against them, sexualizes them, or promotes dangerous activities is strictly prohibited.If you encounter child sexual abuse material, report it to compliance@NewsBreak.com. For immediate danger to a child, contact law enforcement.
Endangering Public Health
False, Misleading and Fraudulent Content
NewsBreak strives to ensure credibility and protect users' well-being and trust by discouraging misinformation or disinformation. While we take the accuracy of the content on our platform seriously, publishers, and creators are responsible for fact-checking their content. We do not allow the publishing of rumor, hearsay, or unvetted or unverified information. Attempts to introduce misinformation or disinformation, as well as fabricating information or presenting false information as fact, may result in account termination. The use of clickbait is also not allowed. Attribution is required for all facts that could be challenged, with original reporting preferred. Opinion or satirical pieces must be clearly labeled as such in the headline. For more details see the contributor and publisher guidelines respectively.
We do not allow creators to publish altered media intended to confuse, harm, or mislead. Editing for technical quality, like color correction or adding graphics, is allowed, but manipulation to mischaracterize events is not allowed. Photo edits must maintain accuracy without altering meaning, and misleading cropping is not allowed. Secretly captured video with malicious intent or in violation of the law is prohibited, except for lawful surveillance footage. Deep fakes are also not allowed unless clearly labeled and relevant to the story's subject. Composite images must be clearly indicated. In crime-related media, faces of minors must be blurred unless law enforcement releases the photo or parental permission is obtained, and faces of alleged victims should be blurred in sensitive cases if anonymity is requested.
We do not allow:
Misinformation and Disinformation
Impersonation
Spam
Other Fraudulent Behavior (scams and deception)
Election Interference
Violent and Gory Content
NewsBreak does not allow content that glorifies or incites violence or aims to shock or disgust without news value. News content must contain proper newsworthy context. Even then, graphic content should include proper warnings and avoid shocking users. We do not allow content that:
Adult Nudity or Sexual Content
NewsBreak does not allow content that:
EDSA Exceptions
We may allow content that seems to violate our policies if it has clear educational, documentary, scientific, or artistic (EDSA) value. Examples include anti-bullying campaigns, historical documentaries, artistic comedy, and scientific nudity. Clear intent within the content is required for EDSA eligibility, but sensitive or harmful content may not be included in this exception.
Intellectual Property
NewsBreak respects intellectual property rights and does not allow improper use. When posting, ensure you have the rights to the content. We may remove content that infringes on intellectual property rights, including:
Report copyright infringements to our designated Copyright Agent as outlined in our Terms of Use.
Privacy
NewsBreak prioritizes privacy and personal information protection. We may remove content violating privacy laws or our Privacy Policy. Report potential privacy violations at privacy@NewsBreak.com. We investigate and take down content that shares personal information without consent or that could cause harm. This includes:
The above are common standards amongst all users and content creators on NewsBreak. We have separate guidelines for publishers, contributors and Local Listings/Community Resources. Click the following links to understand the exhaustive expectations for each:
In addition to NewsBreak's Community Standards, contributors must also follow these requirements:
Each article must include at least 250 words.
All articles must include at least one image that is relevant to the content. All multimedia must be owned by you or you must have obtained permission to use the media if the multimedia is not free for everyone to use without any restrictions. Every image, including images taken by the contributor, must include a credit to the source. Images on our platform, at a minimum, need to be 201 x 201 pixels.
Every article needs a factually-correct headline that is directly related to the content in the article (no clickbait). The article should be free from grammatical and spelling errors and cannot include links. Please do not use ALL CAPS.
Formatting choices should be made with the user in mind. Formatting choices should help guide the reader and not distract or hinder the user’s experience. Contributors should avoid overuse of stylized text features and content should mainly be in regular text.
Videos published on our platform should be at least 30 seconds long, but no more than 30 minutes. Best practice for video duration on NewsBreak is one to six minutes.
Note: if videos are too long they may fail to upload.
Headlines and descriptions help users discover and better understand your videos. Therefore, we ask you to include a relevant headline as well as a description for every video. Headlines and descriptions should be free of spelling and grammatical errors. Headlines should be under 100 characters. Please see our Promotional and sponsored guidelines for including links in your description. You should avoid using exaggerated language such as ALL CAPS and/or irrelevant punctuation.
Only the following file formats are supported: mov, mp4, webm, mkv, avi, mpeg, m2ts. The file size of a video should be no more than 4 GB.
Each video must include a thumbnail image. You can upload your own thumbnail that is relevant to the video topic (recommended) or choose to have an auto-generated thumbnail from the video. Thumbnail images must be at least 240 x 240 pixels.
Each video should include relevant video sounds. BGM/music/voice over/natural sound/voice are all considered acceptable sounds. All sounds must be owned by you or you must have obtained permission to use the sounds if the sounds are not free for everyone to use without any restrictions. This especially includes music.
All videos should have a minimum resolution of 360p. Best practice is 720p or 1080p.
Whether engaging with contributors, the audience, or members of the NewsBreak team, we lead from a place of kindness, helpfulness, and good intent with each interaction. Bullying of any kind isn’t allowed.
We treat the Contributor Network and its entities as professional spaces and expect all actions to align with sensible business conduct. You should have a solid understanding of our policies, including the NewsBreak Contributor Network Terms of Service, NewsBreak’s Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, Contributor Monetization Terms, etc, and abide by these at all times.
NewsBreak believes contributors are central to our mission and that we all succeed together. We empower one another as individuals and champion our wins. We are committed to learning, growing, and sharing together with the goal of helping everyone everywhere live safer, more vibrant, more truly connected lives.
All contributors approved for monetization are invited to join a dedicated community space that we host on a platform called Circle. All contributors are expected to uphold our Community Values and Guidelines across all spaces of this forum. If you believe a post/comment is not in compliance, please report it to the NewsBreak Community team by using the “Report comment” option available within Circle.
We regularly host virtual events for our contributors. Each gathering is thoughtfully designed to help contributors learn, grow, and connect, as well as share feedback respectfully with our team. When you RSVP to an event, you are agreeing to abide by the rules and participation guidelines laid out in the event description including confidentiality terms and encouraged topics of conversation (as well as those we wish to avoid).
It is natural for contributor content published on NewsBreak to receive comments and feedback from our audience. You should lead by example and engage thoughtfully, while also utilizing the resources available to you within your contributor portal to moderate in the manner you see fit.
Whether emailing our support team, participating in user research surveys, or having individual chats with members of the NewsBreak team, you are expected to engage both professionally and kindly and we will do the same in return. We welcome feedback and criticism with the intent of helping us all improve, but will not tolerate cruel or derogatory language, nor harassment of team members whether on- and/or off-platform. Please be mindful that humans are on the other end of each piece of feedback we receive. Although we don’t always get it right, we operate in good faith and are eager to make improvements for our community.
We ask that all contributors take these guidelines seriously. NewsBreak commits to upholding them fairly and transparently and will take swift action to remedy behaviors or actions that do not align with what has been set forth. As such, we reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts or remove content for any reason at any time, including if a contributor’s on- and/or off-platform behavior harms our users, community, employees, or ecosystem. If you attempt to evade suspension or termination by creating new accounts, we will terminate your new accounts.
If you believe a contributor is in violation of these guidelines or have any other concerns, please contact us at contributors@newsbreak.com.
