Welcome to Spot.Us – a nonprofit project of the Center for Media Change that is trying to pioneer “community powered reporting.” We believe journalism is a process, not a product and that the process should be participatory. We have tried to create a marketplace that enables news organizations, independent reporters and community members to come together and collaborate on meaningful journalism. Independent reporters create “pitches” that outline journalistic work they intend to fulfill and a specific fundraising goal. Community members donate time or money towards reporting projects. News organizations can also donate to pitches, run the final content for free or get exclusive rights to the content by buying an ownership stake in a pitch. The refunded money can only be used to support more journalism, so while donors never receive cash back, they are able to donate towards two works of journalism for the price of one.
Our site is all about community and trust. We prefer to keep things informal, but we are also told terms of service is necessary for both you and us. So, this is our terms of service page. Please check it out.
This Terms of Service Agreement (the "Agreement") is a contract between you and Spot.Us that governs your use of the www.spot.us website (the "Website") and all associated services and transactions between you and Spot.Us (the "Services"). By using the Website, you agree to be bound by this Agreement, whether or not you become a donor in Spot.Us’ journalism program (the "Program").
Spot.Us may change the Agreement from time to time, at Spot.Us’ sole discretion. Your continued use of this website following the posting of such changes will constitute your assent to all such changes. Please periodically visit this section of the site to review the current version of the Agreement. This provision is included because we are a nonprofit startup and still getting our feet on the ground; we have no intention of making sweeping changes.
You may receive a written copy of this Agreement by emailing us at: Info AT Spot Dot US Please include the subject: "Spot.Us Terms of Agreement."
Spot.Us is a marketplace where independent journalists can pitch the public for small donations that can add up to fund an investigation into work that will benefit the public. The marketplace is set up so that a “pitch” from a reporter acts as a contract. In the contract a reporter sets a target fundraising goal. Spot.Us cannot guarantee that the fundraising goal will be met. Spot.Us makes no warranty or guarantee of performance on behalf of the reporters whose projects are promoted on this site.
By participating in the Program or otherwise using the Services, you hereby acknowledge and agree that (a) Spot.Us makes no representation as to whether the finished content will meet your specific demands. Rather we work to make sure the final content meets the requirements laid out by the reporters. We make efforts to ensure that every project is completed but take no responsibility on behalf of the reporters. (b) Donations made via the Website may be returned as “credits” to the user in the case that a “pitch” is unsuccessful in reaching its target goal, but we will not reimburse actual U.S. dollars. (As a small startup nonprofit, we simply can’t afford that kind of regular transaction). YOU ASSUME TOTAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR DONATIONS’S MADE THROUGH THIS SITE.
You understand that any and all decisions made by you with respect to the Program are yours alone. Spot.Us cannot and does not verify the accuracy of information in pitches, but does allow users to investigate the reporters who produce them. Donors furthermore acknowledge that journalism may not adhere to exact production schedules defined in project descriptions and that on some occasions projects may change in scope or direction while underway. Spot.Us will not make any refunds of donations to donors for any reason other than inaccurately entered donation amounts or recipients, which must be reported within five business days of the donation to qualify for a refund.
You understand that every pitch is assigned an independent “peer review editor” who receives 10% of the money raised or is otherwise a volunteer. These are not Spot.Us employees, but other independent contractors. The remaining 90% of the money goes to the reporter. Spot.Us will not take any of this money, but does ask for additional contributions to be made towards its operational costs.
You understand that Spot.Us is a project of the non-profit Center for Media Change which has received an exemption from the Internal Revenue Service as an organization that qualifies as a public charity under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time. Your donations are tax-deductible, but you are solely responsible for determining the proper tax treatment for any donation you make through the Services and the Program. Spot.Us will not provide any tax or legal advice to you in connection with any donation you might make.
Although Spot.Us assumes no obligation to monitor the conduct of any user of the Website, it is a violation of this Agreement to use any information obtained from the Website in order to harass, abuse, or harm another person, or in order to contact, advertise to, solicit, or sell to any user without their prior explicit consent. Please see our Privacy Policy for more details.
Spot.Us welcomes user comments on our stories and posts. Spot.Us’ mission is to engage the public in news analysis of issues in their community and to encourage interaction with journalists. We intend for comment sections to be used as a place for civil, thought-provoking and high-quality public discussion. In order to achieve this, Spot.Us requires that all commenters register and post comments with their user names. Spot.Us reserves the right to remove postings that include the use of foul language, personal attacks or the use of language that may be libelous or interpreted as inciting hate or sexual harassment; however we are under no obligation to do so. User comments may be reviewed by moderators and may be included or excluded at our discretion.
Users have the right to produce content on the site but they also understand that content must not be illegal, obscene, defamatory, threatening, infringing of intellectual property rights, invasive of privacy or otherwise injurious or objectionable. Under any of these circumstances, Spot.Us reserves the right to delete the offending material.
If you post any messages or other information on the Website, you shall be deemed to have automatically granted, represented and warranted that such content be licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0. The only exception to this will be content produced by users who identify themselves as “reporters” who have a separate agreement that supersedes this section of the ‘Terms of Service’ Agreement. After the period of time specified in that agreement, all content produced by reporters will revert back to Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
You may view the contract between Spot.Us and "reporters," which Supercedes this section here
Spot.Us will on occasion grant an exclusive license for the use of a reporter’s story to a news organization for a limited period of time in exchange for money that will be distributed towards other journalism projects at the discretion of community members.
If you are a copyright owner and you believe that your copyrighted materials have been used in a way that constitutes copyright infringement, please see our DMCA Agreement.
In order to take part in the Program, you will be required to register and establish a password-protected account with Spot.Us (an “Account”). You represent and warrant that all information provided by in the Account is current, accurate and complete, and that you will maintain the accuracy and completeness of this information.
You are solely responsible for maintaining the confidentiality and security of your password(s) and Account(s). You understand and agree that you are fully responsible for all actions and postings made from your Account. You agree to notify Spot.Us immediately if you become aware of any unauthorized use of your Account. Spot.Us holds the right to terminate or restrict access to a user’s account, and to delete any content posted through it.
You acknowledge, consent and agree that Spot.Us may, at its sole discretion and to the extent permitted by law, access, read, preserve and disclose your account information, usage history and submitted content in order to: (a) comply with any applicable law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request; (b) respond to claims that any content violates the rights of third parties, including intellectual property rights or libel; (c) enforce this Agreement and investigate potential violations thereof; (d) detect, prevent, or otherwise address fraud, security, or technical issues; (e) respond to your requests for customer service; or (f) protect the rights, property, or personal safety of Spot.Us, its users, or the public.
The Service is available “as is.” We do not warrant that it will be uninterrupted or error-free. There may be delays, omissions, interruptions and inaccuracies in the news, information or other materials available through the Service. We are not responsible for the availability or content of other services that may be linked to the Service. We do not make any warranties, express or implied, including without limitation, those of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, with respect to the Service or any information or goods that are available or advertised or sold through the Service. We do not make any representations, nor do we endorse the accuracy, completeness, timeliness or reliability of any advice, opinion, statement or other material or database displayed, uploaded or distributed in the Service or available though links in the Website. We reserve the right to correct any errors or omissions in the Service but are under no obligation to do so. We do not guarantee or warrant that the Service or materials that may be downloaded from the Website do not contain viruses, worms or other destructive features. We are not liable for any damages or harm attributable to such features. If you rely on the Service and any materials available through the Website, you do so solely at your own risk.
If there is any dispute about or involving Spot.Us, the Website or or partaking in the Service in any way the, you agree that the dispute will be governed by the laws of the State of California without regard to its conflict of law provisions. You agree to personal jurisdiction by and venue in the state and federal courts located in the San Francisco Bay Area of California.
You agree to indemnify and hold Spot.Us harmless from any loss, liability, claim, or demand, including reasonable attorney’s fees, made or incurred by any third party due to or arising (directly or indirectly) out of your use of the Website or Service, participating in the Program or arising from a breach of this Agreement.
Spot.Us disclaims all responsibility and liability for the availability, timeliness, security or reliability of the Program. Spot.Us reserves the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue the Program without any notice at any time and without any liability to you.
Failure of Spot.Us to exercise or enforce any right or provision of this Agreement shall not be deemed a waiver of such right or provision in any instance.
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Spot.Us is an open source project to pioneer “community powered reporting.” Through
Spot.Us the public can commission and participate with journalists to do reporting on
important and perhaps overlooked topics. Contributions are tax deductible and we partner
with news organizations to distribute content under appropriate licenses.
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