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Terms of Service

Effective date: to be set at launch · Last updated August 2026

Marion News ("the site") is a community news and information service for Marion, Montana and the surrounding West Flathead Valley, operated by JB Web Studios. By using the site you agree to these terms.

1. Your account

  • Members register with their real name and email. Your real name is never shown publicly; it is visible only to site administrators and moderators (see the Privacy Policy).
  • You are responsible for activity under your account. One account per person.
  • Public nicknames may not impersonate real people or organizations. Nicknames can be changed once every 90 days.

2. Your content

  • You own what you post. You keep all rights to your words and photos.
  • By posting, you grant Marion News a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to display, store, and distribute that content on the site and its feeds (RSS, email digests) for as long as it remains posted. This license exists so the site can function; it is not a transfer of ownership.
  • You are responsible for what you post. Post only content you have the right to share.

3. Prohibited content (the hard lines)

Marion News does not remove content for viewpoint — ever. The only content that will be removed is:

  • Content that is illegal under U.S. or Montana law (including CSAM).
  • True threats of violence or incitement to imminent lawless action.
  • Doxxing: publishing private home addresses, phone numbers, or similar identifying details of private individuals without consent.
  • Impersonation of real people or organizations.
  • Spam and commercial flooding.

The full process, including the public moderation log and appeals, is in the Moderation Policy.

4. Community reports are unverified

Road, weather, and emergency reports posted by community members are unverified. Always defer to official sources. See the community reports disclaimer.

5. Termination

  • Accounts may be banned only for hard-line violations (§3) or ban evasion. Bans are logged in the public moderation log (without usernames) and can be appealed by email.
  • You may delete your account at any time by emailing the admin.

6. Copyright (DMCA)

If you believe content on the site infringes your copyright, email [email protected] with the material's URL, your contact information, and a good-faith statement of infringement. Repeat infringers' accounts will be terminated.

7. Disclaimers

The site is provided "as is" without warranties. Marion News is not liable for user content, for decisions made based on community reports, or for outages — including during emergencies. To the maximum extent permitted by law, total liability is limited to $50.

8. Changes

Material changes to these terms will be announced on the site at least 14 days before they take effect.

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Montana.

These documents are working drafts prepared for Marion News and have not yet been reviewed by a Montana attorney. They are not legal advice. Questions: [email protected].

Terms of Service · Marion News