CONTRIBUTOR AGREEMENT
Florida People News
FloridaPeopleNews.com
Effective Date: August 28, 2026
This Contributor Agreement (“Agreement”) governs the submission and publication of articles, commentary, photographs, graphics, video, audio, documents, and other material (“Content”) submitted to Florida People News by outside writers, journalists, photographers, analysts, guest authors, community contributors, and other independent contributors (“Contributor”).
By submitting Content after accepting this Agreement, the Contributor agrees to the following terms.
1. Independent Contributor Relationship
The Contributor is an independent contributor and is not an employee, agent, partner, representative, or joint venturer of Florida People News unless a separate written agreement expressly provides otherwise.
Nothing in this Agreement authorizes the Contributor to make commitments, representations, contracts, or statements on behalf of Florida People News.
The Contributor shall not represent that he or she is an employee of Florida People News unless expressly authorized to do so.
2. Submission Does Not Guarantee Publication
Florida People News is under no obligation to publish submitted Content.
Florida People News may accept, reject, postpone, return, edit, archive, or discontinue consideration of any submission in its editorial discretion.
Submission of Content does not create an obligation to pay the Contributor unless compensation has been separately agreed to in writing.
3. Editorial Control
Florida People News retains final editorial authority concerning all material appearing on FloridaPeopleNews.com.
Florida People News may edit submissions for accuracy, clarity, grammar, style, length, formatting, headlines, subheadings, captions, photographs, links, metadata, search-engine optimization, categorization, and consistency with editorial standards.
Florida People News may also request supporting documentation, conduct independent fact-checking, request revisions, add editor’s notes, delay publication, update an article after publication, correct errors, or remove Content.
Where reasonably practicable, Florida People News should consult the Contributor before making a substantive change that materially alters the meaning of the Contributor's factual assertions or opinion.
The Contributor shall not be responsible under this Agreement for materially false or infringing material independently inserted by Florida People News after the Contributor submitted the Content.
4. Accuracy and Verification
The Contributor agrees to exercise reasonable care in researching and preparing Content.
The Contributor represents, to the best of the Contributor’s knowledge and after reasonable investigation, that factual claims submitted for publication are accurate and supported by reliable information.
The Contributor shall not knowingly submit:
fabricated quotations;
fabricated sources;
invented documents;
materially altered evidence presented as authentic;
knowingly false factual allegations;
plagiarized material; or
material presented as verified fact when the Contributor knows it is speculation.
The Contributor agrees to provide reasonable supporting information when requested by an editor.
5. Sources
Contributors should identify sources whenever doing so is consistent with responsible journalism and source protection.
Anonymous or confidential sources should be used only when there is a legitimate journalistic reason for protecting the source and the information is sufficiently important to justify anonymity.
Florida People News may request that a Contributor disclose the identity of a confidential source privately to an appropriate editor for verification. Any decision regarding such disclosure should take into account applicable law and journalistic privilege.
Florida law provides a qualified privilege to qualifying professional journalists concerning information, including source identity, obtained while actively gathering news. The statutory protection depends on the circumstances and whether the journalist falls within the statutory definition.
6. Contributor Representations and Warranties
The Contributor represents and warrants that:
the Contributor has the authority to submit the Content;
the Content is original except for material properly quoted, attributed, licensed, or otherwise lawfully used;
the Content does not knowingly infringe any copyright, trademark, trade secret, privacy right, publicity right, or other legal right;
photographs, graphics, video, audio, documents, and other materials supplied with the submission are either owned by the Contributor, appropriately licensed, used with permission, in the public domain, or otherwise lawfully usable;
the Contributor has not knowingly made materially false factual statements;
the Contributor has accurately represented quotations and source material;
the Contributor has disclosed material conflicts of interest; and
the Contributor has disclosed any payment, sponsorship, gift, consulting arrangement, political relationship, business relationship, or other material interest connected to the subject of the Content.
7. Copyright Ownership and License
Unless otherwise agreed in writing, the Contributor retains copyright ownership in original Content created by the Contributor.
By authorizing Florida People News to publish accepted Content, the Contributor grants Florida People News a worldwide, perpetual, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to:
publish and display the Content;
reproduce and distribute it;
maintain it in archives;
promote it through social media, newsletters, search engines, and other distribution channels;
create excerpts and promotional materials from it;
make reasonable editorial and formatting adaptations;
translate it where appropriate;
syndicate or otherwise distribute it through Florida People News channels; and
use the Contributor’s name, approved biography, and approved photograph in connection with the Content.
This license does not prevent the Contributor from using or republishing the Contributor's own work elsewhere unless a separate agreement provides for exclusivity.
Any complete transfer of copyright ownership to Florida People News must be expressly agreed to in writing.
Federal copyright law generally requires a transfer of copyright ownership to be in writing and signed by the copyright owner or authorized agent.
8. Photographs and Other Media
The Contributor must not submit photographs, graphics, videos, screenshots, charts, or other copyrighted materials merely because they are publicly accessible online.
The Contributor must disclose the source and applicable license or permission for third-party media whenever requested.
Florida People News may refuse to use submitted media if ownership or licensing cannot be adequately established.
9. Plagiarism
Florida People News maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward intentional plagiarism.
A Contributor may quote or reference other works where legally permissible and appropriately attributed, but may not present another person's original language, reporting, photographs, analysis, or creative work as the Contributor's own.
A substantiated plagiarism violation may result in rejection or removal of Content and suspension or termination of contributor privileges.
10. Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence may be used as an assistive research, organizational, transcription, translation, or editing tool only to the extent permitted by Florida People News editorial policy.
A Contributor remains fully responsible for verifying the accuracy, originality, sourcing, and legality of anything submitted under the Contributor's name.
AI-generated material may not be used to fabricate quotations, sources, interviews, photographs presented as documentary evidence, court records, statistics, events, or other factual material.
Material use of generative AI in creating an article should be disclosed to the editor when requested or when required by Florida People News policy.
11. Conflicts of Interest
Contributors must disclose relationships that could reasonably create an actual or apparent conflict of interest.
Examples include financial interests, employment relationships, consulting relationships, political campaign work, close personal relationships, gifts, paid travel, investments, or compensation received from a person or organization materially discussed in the Content.
Florida People News may publish an appropriate disclosure with the article.
12. Sponsored and Paid Material
A Contributor must not accept undisclosed payment from a third party in exchange for favorable or unfavorable editorial coverage on Florida People News.
Sponsored, paid, advertorial, or partner material must be disclosed to Florida People News before publication and may be labeled accordingly.
13. Corrections
A Contributor shall cooperate with reasonable post-publication fact-checking, correction, and clarification requests.
Florida People News retains the final authority to correct, update, annotate, retract, or remove Content.
14. Contributor Indemnification
To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Contributor agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Florida People News and its owners, officers, directors, editors, employees, contractors, and agents from third-party claims, damages, liabilities, settlements, costs, and reasonable attorneys' fees arising directly from the Contributor's:
material breach of this Agreement;
knowing copyright or intellectual-property infringement;
unauthorized use of media supplied by the Contributor;
knowing fabrication of material facts, quotations, sources, or documents;
material misrepresentation concerning ownership or authorization; or
failure to disclose a material paid relationship or conflict of interest.
This provision does not apply to liability arising solely from material independently created or materially introduced by Florida People News after submission without the Contributor's participation.
15. Compensation
Unless compensation has been agreed upon in writing before publication, submission and publication of Content do not create an obligation for Florida People News to compensate the Contributor.
Where compensation is separately agreed upon, the terms of that agreement will control.
16. No Guaranteed Continued Access
Florida People News may suspend or terminate contributor privileges at any time for editorial, operational, security, ethical, or legal reasons.
Termination does not automatically require Florida People News to remove previously published Content.
17. Governing Law
This Agreement shall, to the extent permitted by applicable law, be governed by the laws of the State of Florida and applicable federal law.
Subject to mandatory jurisdictional requirements, disputes arising from this Agreement shall be brought before a court of competent jurisdiction in Florida.
18. Electronic Acceptance
Checking an acceptance box, electronically signing this Agreement, creating a Contributor account subject to this Agreement, or otherwise affirmatively accepting these terms may constitute electronic acceptance to the extent permitted by applicable law.
Florida People News
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EDITORIAL STANDARDS & ETHICS POLICY
Florida People News
Effective Date: August 28, 2026
Florida People News is committed to producing journalism that is accurate, fair, independent, transparent, and responsible.
These standards apply to editors, staff writers, outside Contributors, photographers, and others producing editorial material for Florida People News.
1. Accuracy Comes First
Accuracy takes priority over speed.
Writers should make reasonable efforts to verify names, dates, quotations, locations, statistics, documents, and material factual assertions before publication.
When information cannot be independently verified, that limitation should be made clear when material to the story.
2. Attribution and Sourcing
Information obtained from another publication, government agency, study, public record, interview, or other identifiable source should be appropriately attributed.
Florida People News should distinguish between:
verified facts;
allegations;
opinions;
estimates;
predictions; and
information that remains disputed or unconfirmed.
An allegation should not be written as an established fact merely because someone made the allegation publicly.
3. Fairness and Right of Response
When reporting significant allegations that could materially harm the reputation of an identifiable individual or organization, journalists should ordinarily make a reasonable effort to obtain comment from the subject before publication when circumstances permit.
The absence of a response does not prevent publication when the story is sufficiently substantiated.
When appropriate, an article should disclose that the subject was contacted and did not respond, declined to comment, or disputed the allegation.
4. Opinion and News
Florida People News distinguishes factual news reporting from commentary and opinion.
Opinion pieces may advocate viewpoints, but factual assertions within opinion pieces remain subject to reasonable accuracy standards.
Opinion content should be labeled when necessary to avoid misleading readers regarding its nature.
5. Anonymous Sources
Anonymous sources should be used cautiously.
Anonymity may be appropriate when:
the information serves a legitimate public interest;
the source faces a credible risk of retaliation, professional harm, safety concerns, or other substantial consequences;
the information cannot reasonably be obtained on the record; and
the journalist has sufficient reason to believe the source is reliable and in a position to know the information provided.
Whenever possible, articles should explain why anonymity was granted without revealing identifying information.
6. Confidential Sources
Florida People News takes commitments to confidential sources seriously.
However, no journalist or Contributor should promise absolute confidentiality without understanding the legal implications.
Florida law provides qualifying professional journalists with a qualified privilege concerning information and source identities obtained during active newsgathering, but the privilege is not absolute.
7. Conflicts of Interest
Editorial personnel and Contributors should avoid undisclosed financial, political, commercial, or personal relationships that could materially compromise their independence.
Material conflicts should be disclosed to the appropriate editor.
Where a conflict does not require recusal, an appropriate disclosure may be included in the published article.
8. Gifts, Payments and Favors
Editorial coverage must not be purchased secretly.
Journalists and Contributors may not accept undisclosed compensation in exchange for favorable or unfavorable editorial treatment.
Significant gifts, complimentary travel, hospitality, or other benefits related to coverage should be disclosed to an editor.
9. Sponsored Content and Advertising
Advertising and sponsored material should not be presented in a manner designed to deceive readers into believing paid promotional material is independent journalism.
Paid or sponsored material should be clearly identified where appropriate.
Advertisers do not receive editorial control over independent Florida People News reporting merely because they advertise on the Website.
10. Plagiarism and Attribution
Florida People News does not tolerate intentional plagiarism.
Original reporting, writing, photography, or analysis created by others should not be presented as original Florida People News work.
Quotations and borrowed factual information should be appropriately attributed when attribution is required by journalistic practice or law.
11. Photographs and Visual Material
Editorial photographs should accurately represent the subject and context of a story.
Routine adjustments such as cropping, exposure correction, or minor tonal adjustments may be permissible, but visual alterations should not materially misrepresent a news event.
Illustrations, composites, recreations, or AI-generated images should be labeled where there is a reasonable possibility that readers could mistake them for documentary photographs.
12. Artificial Intelligence
Florida People News may use AI-assisted tools for functions such as transcription, translation, research support, headline development, editing assistance, or administrative work.
AI output must not be treated as an authoritative source.
Material factual claims generated by automated systems should be independently verified before publication.
Florida People News will not knowingly publish fabricated AI-generated quotations, sources, interviews, documents, or documentary photographs as authentic journalism.
Human editorial responsibility remains with the writer and editor.
13. Crime and Court Reporting
An arrest or criminal accusation does not establish guilt.
Articles should appropriately use terminology such as “accused,” “charged,” or “alleged” unless guilt has been established through an appropriate legal proceeding.
Where practical and editorially appropriate, significant later developments such as acquittals, dismissals, or reversals may be added to or linked from earlier reporting.
14. Minors and Vulnerable Persons
Florida People News should exercise additional care when identifying minors, victims of sexual violence, vulnerable individuals, and persons whose safety could reasonably be endangered by publication.
Public interest should be weighed against unnecessary harm.
15. Graphic or Disturbing Material
Graphic imagery or disturbing details should be used only when there is a legitimate journalistic justification.
Warnings may be provided when appropriate.
16. Corrections
Florida People News corrects material factual errors when they are established.
Corrections should be sufficiently clear for readers to understand what was inaccurate and, where practical, what has been corrected.
Corrections should not be used to disguise or silently erase substantial factual errors.
17. Removal of Articles
Florida People News generally does not remove accurate published journalism solely because a subject later finds the information embarrassing, inconvenient, or unfavorable.
Removal may nevertheless be appropriate in exceptional circumstances involving significant factual errors, legal concerns, privacy or safety issues, duplicate content, copyright problems, or compelling editorial considerations.
18. Independence
Editorial decisions should be made according to journalistic merit and public interest rather than political pressure, advertiser preference, personal relationships, or threats of unfavorable treatment.
Florida People News reserves the right to publish reporting or commentary that may be critical of public officials, businesses, political organizations, institutions, or other powerful interests when supported by responsible journalism.
CORRECTIONS & RETRACTIONS POLICY
Florida People News
Effective Date: August 28, 2026
Florida People News is committed to accurate journalism. When we determine that a material factual error has been published, we will consider the appropriate corrective action based on the nature and significance of the error.
Corrections
A correction may be appropriate when an otherwise valid article contains a material factual error.
Examples may include an incorrect name, date, quotation, numerical figure, attribution, location, description, or factual assertion.
When practical, a significant correction should explain what information was incorrect and provide the corrected information.
Minor typographical, grammatical, formatting, or stylistic changes that do not alter the substance of an article may be corrected without a formal correction notice.
Clarifications
A clarification may be added when the original article was not necessarily factually incorrect but could reasonably create a materially misleading impression or requires additional context.
Updates
News articles may be updated as events develop.
The addition of newly available information does not necessarily mean the earlier version was erroneous.
Significant updates may be identified through an update notice or revised timestamp when appropriate.
Editor's Notes
An editor's note may be added where additional context is necessary concerning a significant editorial issue, dispute, correction history, source issue, or other matter affecting the reader's understanding of an article.
Retractions
Retraction is reserved for circumstances where Florida People News determines that a publication contains such substantial factual, ethical, legal, or authenticity problems that ordinary correction would be inadequate.
A retracted article may be removed or retained with an appropriate retraction notice depending upon the circumstances.
Article Removal
Removal is considered case by case.
Florida People News does not ordinarily remove accurate reporting solely because the subject no longer wishes the information to be publicly available.
Removal may nevertheless be considered where appropriate because of:
substantial factual inaccuracies;
copyright infringement;
fraud or fabricated source material;
court orders or legal requirements;
significant privacy or safety considerations;
duplicate publication;
ethical concerns; or
other compelling editorial circumstances.
How to Request a Correction
A correction or retraction request should include:
the requester's full name;
the article title;
the article URL;
the date of publication, if known;
the exact statement alleged to be inaccurate;
an explanation of why the statement is inaccurate;
the proposed correction; and
documents or other reliable evidence supporting the request.
Requests should be submitted through the contact information designated by Florida People News for editorial or legal matters.
Review Process
Florida People News may consult the original reporter, editor, source documents, recordings, public records, subject of the story, legal counsel, or other appropriate sources when investigating a correction request.
Submission of a request does not guarantee that the article will be corrected, retracted, or removed.
Florida People News retains final editorial discretion subject to applicable law.
Florida Defamation Notices
Nothing in this policy waives rights or defenses available to Florida People News under Florida law.
Florida Statute §770.01 provides that, before certain civil actions involving allegedly defamatory publication or broadcast material, a plaintiff must provide at least five days' written notice specifying the publication and statements alleged to be false and defamatory.
Florida Statute §770.02 also establishes circumstances in which a qualifying full and fair correction, apology, or retraction may affect recoverable damages. For a daily or weekly newspaper or periodical, the statute specifies a 10-day period after service of notice; different periods apply to publications issued less frequently.
A request submitted under this editorial policy does not necessarily constitute formal statutory notice under Chapter 770 unless it satisfies applicable legal requirements.
No Waiver
Reviewing, responding to, correcting, clarifying, updating, or declining a complaint does not constitute an admission of liability.
Nothing in this policy waives any constitutional, statutory, common-law, evidentiary, journalistic, procedural, or other defense or protection available to Florida People News.
Florida People News
FloridaPeopleNews.com
COPYRIGHT & DMCA POLICY
Florida People News
Effective Date: August 28, 2026
Florida People News respects copyright and other intellectual-property rights and expects users and Contributors to do the same.
Copyright in Florida People News Content
Unless otherwise indicated, original articles, photographs, graphics, videos, logos, page designs, compilations, and other original material created by Florida People News are owned by or licensed to Florida People News and are protected by applicable copyright laws.
Readers may share links to publicly available Florida People News articles.
Brief excerpts may be quoted where permitted by applicable law, including applicable principles of fair use, with appropriate attribution.
Except as permitted by law or authorized in writing, users may not reproduce, republish, distribute, sell, license, scrape, systematically copy, or commercially exploit substantial Florida People News content.
Third-Party Content
Certain material appearing on FloridaPeopleNews.com may belong to outside Contributors, photographers, news services, government entities, licensors, or other third parties.
Copyright notices and licensing restrictions associated with such material remain applicable.
Digital Millennium Copyright Act
Florida People News responds to appropriate notices of alleged copyright infringement in accordance with applicable provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”), including 17 U.S.C. §512.
Section 512 establishes conditional limitations on liability for qualifying online service providers. Among other requirements, the statute provides procedures for copyright infringement notices and counter-notifications.
DMCA Designated Agent
Notices of alleged copyright infringement should be sent to:
DMCA Agent
Florida People News
Address: [INSERT MAILING ADDRESS]
Email: [INSERT DMCA EMAIL]
Telephone: [INSERT TELEPHONE NUMBER]
Do not publish this section with placeholders. Insert the actual contact information first.
If Florida People News seeks the §512(c) safe harbor, federal law requires the designated agent's information to be made publicly available and provided to the Copyright Office.
Requirements for a DMCA Notice
A copyright owner or authorized representative who believes material on FloridaPeopleNews.com infringes copyright should provide a written notice substantially containing:
- a physical or electronic signature of the person authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner;
- identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed, or a representative list when multiple works are involved;
- identification of the allegedly infringing material and information reasonably sufficient to locate it;
- information reasonably sufficient to contact the complaining party;
- a statement that the complaining party has a good-faith belief that the disputed use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; and
- a statement that the information in the notice is accurate and, under penalty of perjury, that the complaining party is authorized to act for the owner of the allegedly infringed right.
These elements track the statutory requirements of 17 U.S.C. §512(c)(3).
Review and Takedown
Upon receipt of a substantially compliant notice, Florida People News may investigate the complaint and remove or disable access to the disputed material where appropriate.
Section 512 contemplates expeditious removal or disabling of access when a qualifying provider receives an effective infringement notice.
Florida People News may forward a copy of the complaint to the person who submitted or posted the disputed material.
Counter-Notification
A person whose Content has been removed or disabled because of a DMCA notice may submit a counter-notification where the person believes removal resulted from mistake or misidentification.
A valid counter-notification must comply with the requirements of 17 U.S.C. §512.
Where a valid counter-notification is received, the statute generally requires the service provider to provide a copy to the original complainant and permits restoration of the material not less than 10 nor more than 14 business days afterward unless the designated agent receives notice that the complainant has filed an appropriate court action.
Repeat Infringers
Florida People News may suspend or terminate accounts or contributor privileges of users who repeatedly infringe copyrights in appropriate circumstances.
Section 512 requires qualifying service providers seeking applicable safe-harbor protection to adopt and reasonably implement a repeat-infringer policy and inform subscribers and account holders of that policy.
Misrepresentations
Parties submitting copyright notices or counter-notifications should ensure their claims are accurate and made in good faith.
Knowingly making material misrepresentations in a DMCA notice or counter-notification may have legal consequences.
Fair Use
Florida People News recognizes that not every unauthorized use of copyrighted material constitutes infringement.
Copyright law permits certain uses, including uses that qualify as fair use under applicable law.
Submission of a copyright complaint does not automatically establish infringement, and Florida People News may consider relevant legal defenses before taking final action.
DMCA Agent Registration
Publishing an agent's name on FloridaPeopleNews.com alone is not sufficient if Florida People News intends to rely on the applicable designated-agent requirement.
The U.S. Copyright Office maintains an electronic DMCA Designated Agent Directory. A service provider seeking applicable §512 protection should register its designated agent there. The Copyright Office states that a designation becomes invalid after three years unless amended or resubmitted to renew it.
U.S. Copyright Office Section 512 guidance
Contact
Copyright questions that do not constitute formal DMCA notices may be submitted through the Florida People News Contact page.
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