Terms of Use

Last Updated: November 2, 2026

1. Consent to Terms

These Terms of Use (“Terms”) are entered into by and between you (“User” or “you”, or “your”) and Institute for Nonprofit News (INN) (“INN”, “we”, “us”, or “our”). By using inn.org, findyournews.org, and ruralnewsnetwork.org or by engaging with the Content (as defined below) (collectively, the “Site”), you agree to be bound by these Terms. Please read the Terms carefully before you access or use the Site. If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not access or use the Site. We make these Terms available through a conspicuous link on the Site, and where you register for an account, complete a transaction, or otherwise submit information to us, you may be required to affirmatively accept these Terms as a condition of proceeding. 

The Site is not intended for children under 13.

2. Changes to these Terms 

We may revise and update these Terms from time to time in our sole discretion. Changes that do not materially affect your rights or obligations are effective immediately when we post them. If we make a material change to these Terms, we will post the revised Terms together with a notice on the Site identifying the date on which the revised Terms take effect, which will be at least [thirty (30)] days after posting unless a shorter period is required by applicable law.

By accessing or using the Site on or after the effective date of revised Terms, you accept and become bound by the revised Terms. If you do not agree to the revised Terms, you must stop using the Site. The date on which these Terms were last updated appears at the top of this page.

3. Accessing the Site

We reserve the right in our sole discretion at any time to modify or discontinue, temporarily or permanently, the Site (or any part thereof) with or without notice. The Site also may be subject to interruptions. You acknowledge and agree that we will not be liable for any modification, suspension, interruption, or discontinuance of the Site. 

4. Content on the Site

All materials published or made available through the Site, including but not limited to text, articles, photographs, images, illustrations, audio, video, data, graphics, logos, and the overall “look and feel” of the Site, as well as any materials posted by us on social media platforms,  (collectively, “Content”) are protected by U.S. and international copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. As between you and us, all Content is owned by, controlled by, or licensed to us. As between you and us, we own all copyright in the selection, coordination, compilation, and enhancement of Content. You shall abide by all additional copyright notices, information, or restrictions contained in any Content accessed through the Site. Certain Content on the Site consists of news articles, headlines, excerpts, or other materials originally created and published by INN member organizations or other third-party news sources and made available on the Site pursuant to a license, syndication or republication agreement, or other permission from the applicable source (“Aggregated Content”). Aggregated Content remains the property of its respective publisher or owner, and nothing in these Terms transfers any ownership interest in Aggregated Content to you. We do not independently verify, and disclaim all responsibility for, the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of Aggregated Content. Any use of Aggregated Content beyond what is expressly permitted by these Terms may require separate permission from the original publisher.

Except as expressly authorized by us in writing or as permitted by applicable law, you may not reproduce, distribute, publicly display, modify, create derivative works of, or otherwise exploit any Content.

5. Feedback

By submitting any tips, ideas, resource suggestions, letters, comments, or other feedback to us, whether through our website, by email, by mail, via social media, or by other means (each, a “Feedback”), to the maximum extent permissible under applicable law, you hereby grant and agree to grant us a perpetual, non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, sublicensable license to use, reproduce, publish, distribute, modify, adapt, and create derivative works of the Feedback, in any form or media now known or hereafter developed, without any obligation to compensate you. 

We may edit Feedback at our discretion for length, style, or clarity, or incorporate it into other content, whether or not the Feedback has been published. We are under no obligation to use, publish, or respond to any Feedback.

You represent that you have all rights necessary to submit and to grant the license set forth in these Terms to any Feedback that you submit to us, and that the Feedback does not infringe any third party’s rights (including any intellectual property rights). You are solely responsible for the content of Feedback that you submit to us. 

Please note that submitting Feedback to us does not guarantee confidentiality. We may use information contained in Feedback in our reporting at our discretion. Nothing in these Terms is intended to limit any journalistic protections or privileges available to us under applicable law.

6. Products

We may display or make available listings, descriptions, images, offers, coupons, discounts, or links relating to goods or services on the Site (collectively, “Products”), whether provided by us or by third parties, and whether for informational, promotional, or transactional purposes. The inclusion of any Product on the Site does not imply our endorsement of such Product or any affiliation with the provider, unless expressly stated otherwise.

We do not warrant that Product information is complete, accurate, current, or reliable, and all Product details (including features, specifications, pricing, availability, and the terms of any coupon or discount) are subject to change without notice. To the extent applicable, descriptions, measurements, or images are approximate and provided for convenience only.

Any purchases or other transactions involving Products (“Transactions”) may be subject to additional terms, including applicable refund, exchange, shipping, and tax policies disclosed at the time of the Transaction. We reserve the right, in our sole discretion and without notice, to limit quantities, discontinue Products, impose conditions on promotions, refuse or cancel Transactions, or restrict access to Products. 

All purchases of Products are made through third-party sites, and we are not a party to, and have no responsibility for, any such Transactions.

Certain Products may be featured pursuant to a commercial relationship or sponsorship, which may result in compensation to us. 

7. Permitted Use of the Site

The Site is made available to Users for personal, non-commercial use only, unless otherwise expressly authorized by us in writing. Users may access and use the Site solely for purposes consistent with our mission of supporting INN’s member newsrooms and the public’s access to quality news and information.

8. Prohibited Use of the Site

You may not access or use, or attempt to access or use, the Site to take any action that could harm us or a third party. You may not use the Site in violation of applicable laws or in violation of our or any third party’s intellectual property or other proprietary or legal rights. You further agree that you will not attempt (or encourage or support anyone else’s attempt) to circumvent, reverse engineer, decrypt, or otherwise alter or interfere with the Site or any Content, or make any unauthorized use of the Site or any Content. Without our prior written consent, you shall not:

1. access any part of the Site, Content, data or information you do not have permission or authorization to access, or for which we have prohibited your access;
2. use robots, spiders, scripts, service, software, or any manual or automatic device, tool, or process designed to data mine or scrape the Content, data or information from the Site, or otherwise use, access, or collect the Content, data or information from the Site using automated means; for the avoidance of doubt, the existence or content of a robots.txt file or similar technical access controls do not constitute our consent to any automated access to or use of the Site or Content;
3. use the Content for the development of any software program, model, algorithm, or generative AI tool, including, but not limited to, training or using the Content in connection with the development or operation of a machine learning or artificial intelligence (AI) system (including any use of the Content for training, fine-tuning, or grounding the machine learning or AI system or as part of retrieval-augmented generation); for the avoidance of doubt, use of Content for machine learning or AI purposes is prohibited;
4. use services, software, or any manual or automatic device, tool, or process designed to circumvent any restriction, condition, or technological measure that controls access to the Site in any way, including overriding any security feature, bypassing or circumventing any access controls or use limits of the Site;
5. cache or archive the Content (except for a public search engine’s use of spiders for creating search indices solely for the inclusion of links and short, non-AI synthesized snippets of the Content in search results);
6. take action that imposes an unreasonable or disproportionately large load on our network or infrastructure; 
7. do anything that could disable, damage or change the functioning or appearance of the Site; or
8. disguise, obscure, or misrepresent your identity, the source of access to the Site, or the manner in which the Site is accessed, including by simulating human browsing behavior through automated means or otherwise attempting to bypass our controls or restrictions.

Engaging in a prohibited use of the Site may result in civil, criminal, and/or administrative penalties, fines, or sanctions against you and those assisting you. We reserve the right to prohibit your right to use the Site or suspend your access to the Site for any or no reason, including if you engage in prohibited use of the Site, without incurring any liability to you.

You acknowledge that any breach or threatened breach of this Section would cause us irreparable harm for which monetary damages would not be an adequate remedy, and that we are entitled to seek injunctive or other equitable relief, without the necessity of posting a bond or proving actual damages, in addition to any other remedies available to us at law or in equity. Our rights and remedies under these Terms are cumulative and not exclusive of any other rights or remedies.

9. Donations 

If you make a charitable donation to us through the Site, your donation is subject to any additional terms presented at the time of the transaction, as well as the terms of any third-party payment processor we may use. 

10. Journalistic Accuracy

We strive to provide accurate, fair, and timely reporting, however, we do not warrant the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of any Content. News information may change rapidly, and the Content may not reflect the most current developments. 

Opinion pieces and editorials reflect the views of the individual author and do not necessarily represent our views or positions unless otherwise expressly stated. Aggregated Content (as defined in Section 4) is reproduced as originally published by the applicable third-party source, and we do not independently fact-check, edit, or verify it.

Likes, shares, follows, reposts, replies and similar activities on social media platforms by us do not constitute our endorsement.

11. Promotions

Any sweepstakes, contests, raffles, surveys, games or similar promotions (collectively, “Promotions”) made available through the Site may be governed by rules that are separate from these Terms. If you participate in any Promotions, please review the applicable rules as well as our Privacy Policy. If the rules for a Promotion conflict with these Terms, the Promotion rules will govern.

12. Privacy

Your use of the Site is also governed by our Privacy Policy. Our Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, and share information about you when you use the Site. By using the Site, you acknowledge that you have read the Privacy Policy at https://inn.org/governance/privacy-statement/. 

13. Disclaimer of Warranties

YOUR USE OF THE SITE IS AT YOUR OWN RISK. THE SITE IS PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS,” “WITH ALL FAULTS,” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS, WITHOUT ANY WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, STATUTORY OR OTHERWISE. WE DO NOT MAKE ANY WARRANTY OR REPRESENTATION WITH RESPECT TO THE COMPLETENESS, SECURITY, RELIABILITY, QUALITY, ACCURACY OR AVAILABILITY OF THE SITE. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, WE DO NOT REPRESENT OR WARRANT THAT THE SITE WILL BE ACCURATE, RELIABLE, ERROR-FREE OR UNINTERRUPTED, THAT DEFECTS WILL BE CORRECTED, THAT THE SITE OR THE SERVER THAT MAKES IT AVAILABLE ARE FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS OR THAT THE SITE WILL OTHERWISE MEET YOUR NEEDS OR EXPECTATIONS. THERE MAY BE DELAYS, OMISSIONS, INTERRUPTIONS, AND INACCURACIES IN THE CONTENT OR OTHER MATERIAL MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE SITE. YOU SHOULD NOT RELY ON THE CONTENT AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR, NOR DOES IT REPLACE, PROFESSIONAL LEGAL, FINANCIAL, TAX OR MEDICAL ADVICE.

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMISSIBLE UNDER APPLICABLE LAW, WE HEREBY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, STATUTORY OR OTHERWISE, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY (I) WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, WORKMANLIKE EFFORT, TITLE, QUIET ENJOYMENT, NO LIENS AND NO ENCUMBRANCES; (II) WARRANTIES AGAINST INFRINGEMENT, MISAPPROPRIATION OR VIOLATION OF ANY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OR PROPRIETARY RIGHTS OF ANY PERSON; (III) WARRANTIES ARISING THROUGH COURSE OF DEALING OR USAGE IN TRADE; AND (IV) WARRANTIES RELATING TO THE ACCURACY, RELIABILITY, CORRECTNESS, OR COMPLETENESS OF DATA OR CONTENT MADE AVAILABLE ON THE SITE OR OTHERWISE BY US.

14. Limitations of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMISSIBLE UNDER APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT WILL WE OR ANY OF OUR AFFILIATES AND OUR RESPECTIVE LICENSORS (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION CONTRIBUTORS OF CONTENT), SERVICE PROVIDERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, OFFICERS,DIRECTORS, MEMBERS, OR SHAREHOLDERS BE LIABLE TO YOU OR TO ANY OTHER PERSON FOR ANY MONETARY DAMAGES, INCLUDING ANY DIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, ENHANCED OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES WHATSOEVER ARISING OUT OF, IN CONNECTION WITH OR OTHERWISE RELATING TO YOUR USE, OR INABILITY TO USE, THE SITE, ITS CONTENT OR ANY WEBSITES LINKED TO IT.

THE FOREGOING LIMITATION EXTENDS TO ANY DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, FOR LOSS OF DATA OR OTHER INTANGIBLES, FOR LOSS OF SECURITY OF INFORMATION TRANSMITTED VIA THE SITE (INCLUDING UNAUTHORIZED INTERCEPTION BY THIRD PARTIES OF SUCH INFORMATION), FOR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, FOR PERSONAL INJURY, FOR LOSS OF PRIVACY ARISING OUT OF, IN CONNECTION WITH OR OTHERWISE RELATING TO THE USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE SITE, FOR LOSS FROM ANY VIRUSES OR OTHER TECHNOLOGICALLY HARMFUL MATERIAL THAT MAY INFECT YOUR DEVICE DUE TO YOUR USE OF THE SITE OR ANY WEBSITE LINKED FROM THE SITE, OR OTHERWISE IN CONNECTION WITH ANY PROVISION OF THESE TERMS, EVEN IF WE OR ANY OF OUR AFFILIATES AND OUR RESPECTIVE LICENSORS (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION CONTRIBUTORS OF CONTENT), SERVICE PROVIDERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, OFFICERS,DIRECTORS, MEMBERS, OR SHAREHOLDERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

THE FOREGOING LIMITATIONS WILL APPLY REGARDLESS OF WHETHER SUCH DAMAGES ARISE UNDER CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), STRICT LIABILITY OR ANY OTHER THEORY.

TO THE EXTENT THAT ANY OF THE FOREGOING LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY ARE NOT ENFORCEABLE OR CANNOT BE DISCLAIMED AS A MATTER OF APPLICABLE LAW, THEN, TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, OUR TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF, IN CONNECTION WITH OR OTHERWISE RELATING TO THESE TERMS OF USE OR YOUR USE OF THE SITE SHALL NOT EXCEED USD $100.

15. Indemnity

You agree, to the maximum extent permissible under applicable laws, to indemnify and hold harmless us and our licensors, service providers, employees, agents, officers or directors from and against any and all losses, damages, liabilities, demands, judgments, settlements, costs and expenses of any kind (including reasonable legal fees and expenses), from any claim or demand made by any third party relating to or arising out of (i) your access to, use or misuse of the Site; (ii) your actual or alleged breach of these Terms; (iii) your actual or alleged failure to comply with applicable laws; (iv) your actual or alleged infringement, misappropriation or other violation of a third party’s intellectual property or other rights; or (v) your gross negligence, willful misconduct or fraud. 

16. User Accounts

As part of the account creation process, you will create login credentials by selecting a password and providing an e-mail address. You are responsible for all activity conducted under your account, including if such activity is unauthorized. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials. We are not responsible for your loss of your login credentials or any unauthorized access to your account. Contact us promptly if you suspect any unauthorized access to your account. If you choose to create an account, you agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information about yourself. You consent to receive notification from us to the e-mail address you provide to us. We reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to suspend or terminate your account at any time and for any reason, including if we believe you have violated these Terms.

17. Third-Party Content

The Site may contain links to third-party websites, content, or resources. We do not control and are not responsible for the content, privacy practices, or terms of any third-party site, and the presence of a link does not imply endorsement by us. You access third-party sites at your own risk and subject to that site’s own terms and policies. By using the Site, you release and hold us harmless from any and all liability arising from your use of any third-party website or service. This Section also applies to Aggregated Content, even where such Content is displayed directly on the Site rather than accessed via an outbound link.

18. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the District of Columbia without regard to conflict of law principles.

Any claim or cause of action arising out of or related to use of the Site or these Terms must be filed within one year after such claim or cause of action arose or be forever barred. 

19. Submission to Jurisdiction

Any legal suit, action, or proceeding arising out of, in connection with or otherwise relating to these Terms must be instituted in any United States federal court or court located in the District of Columbia, and you and we hereby irrevocably submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of such courts in any such suit, action, or proceeding. You and we irrevocably and unconditionally waive any objection to the laying of venue of any suit, action, or proceeding in such courts and hereby irrevocably waive and agree not to plead or claim in any such court that any such suit, action, or proceeding brought in any such court has been brought in an inconvenient forum.

20. Content Removal Requests

If you are a publisher, author, or other rights holder (or an authorized agent of one) and you believe that Aggregated Content or any other Content appearing on the Site has been used in a manner you did not authorize, or you otherwise wish to request that we remove, modify, or update such Content, you may contact us at info@inn.org and provide: (i) identification of the Content at issue and its location on the Site (including the URL); (ii) identification of the original publication of the Content, if applicable; (iii) your name, organization, mailing address, and e-mail address; (iv) a description of the basis for your request; and (v) a statement that you are the rights holder in the Content or are authorized to act on the rights holder’s behalf.

We will review requests properly submitted under this Section and will respond within a reasonable period of time. We may, in our sole discretion, remove, modify, or disable access to the Content at issue, or decline to do so, and nothing in this Section requires us to take any particular action or creates any liability on our part for any action or inaction. This Section describes a voluntary process that we offer as a courtesy to publishers and rights holders. It is separate from, and does not limit, replace, or waive, any other rights, remedies, or defenses available to you or to us under applicable law.

21. International Users

The Site is controlled and operated within the United States. We make no representation that Content available on or through the Site is appropriate or available for use outside of the United States. If you access the Site from a location outside the United States, you are responsible for compliance with applicable laws, including local laws regarding online conduct and content and U.S. export laws and regulations.

22. Interpretation of these Terms

Each of the sections of these Terms operates separately. To the extent that any of these Terms are deemed unlawful or unenforceable, that section or partial section, term, condition, or provision shall, to the extent required, be deemed not to form part of these Terms. The remaining sections, partial sections, terms, conditions, or provisions will remain valid to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law.

No waiver by us of any term or condition set forth in these Terms shall be deemed a further or continuing waiver of such term or condition or a waiver of any other term or condition, and any failure by us to assert a right or provision under these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision.

23. Assignment

We may assign, delegate, transfer or sublicense any or all of our rights or obligations under these Terms without restriction, including in connection with any change in control, merger, consolidation, acquisition, reorganization, sale of assets, or similar transaction.

24. Electronic Communications

When you use the Site, subscribe to a newsletter, register for an event, make a donation, or otherwise provide us with your e-mail address, you consent to receive communications from us electronically, including by e-mail and by notices posted on the Site. You agree that all agreements, notices, disclosures, and other communications that we provide to you electronically satisfy any legal requirement that such communications be in writing.

We may send you newsletters, event and membership information, and other communications consistent with your preferences and applicable law. You may opt out of promotional e-mails at any time by using the unsubscribe link in the e-mail or by contacting us at info@inn.org. We may continue to send you non-promotional communications relating to your account, a donation, or a transaction, and we may provide notices required under these Terms by posting them on the Site.

25. Notices

Notices to you (including notices of changes to these Terms) may be provided by posting on the Site. You are responsible for keeping your contact information current. Notices must be provided to us at info@inn.org.

26. Survival

Provisions of these Terms that by their nature are intended to survive, including those related to intellectual property rights, limitations of liability, indemnity, and dispute resolution shall survive any expiration or termination of these Terms and any suspension or termination of your access to the Site. 

27. Entire Agreement

These Terms constitute the sole and entire agreement between you and us with respect to the subject matter contained herein, and supersede all prior and contemporaneous understandings, agreements, representations, and warranties, both written and oral, with respect to such subject matter. 

END OF TERMS.