1. Scope and Applicability

 

1.1 These Terms apply to all contributors, whether contributing on a temporary basis, as a guest, or as a regular contributor ("Contributor").

 

1.2 By submitting Your Content to Political Pandora, you agree to abide by these Terms.  Disagreement with the Terms will result in the termination of any and all association with Political Pandora unless otherwise agreed upon in writing.

​

1.3 We reserve the right to update, modify, or amend these Terms at any time without prior notice, and the revised Terms will be applicable upon publication. The changes will be reflected on the site. 

 

1.4 You are encouraged to regularly refer to these Terms.  

​

1.5 Your Content may include written articles, reports, essays, photos, audio, video, artwork, or any other form of content submitted for publication or distribution by Pandora. The term "Contribution" will refer to all types of submitted content.

 

 

2. Ownership and Licensing of Your Content

 

2.1 Retention of Copyright: You retain ownership of the copyright on Your Content unless otherwise agreed in writing.

 

2.2 License to Political Pandora: By submitting Your Content, you grant Pandora an exclusive, irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, copy, host, store, index, cache, tag, encode, edit, modify, adapt, publish, distribute, publicly perform, display, sublicense, translate, create derivative works of, or otherwise use Your Content in any form or media, whether known now or later developed, for editorial, promotional, educational, or other purposes. You will be given due credit.

 

2.3 Exclusivity of Content: Once Your Content is submitted to Pandora, you agree not to submit the exact same content to any other publication, platform, or media outlet for non-commercial or commercial purposes without our express prior written consent. Pandora reserves the exclusive right to first publication and use of Your Content.

 

 

3. Confidentiality and Data Protection

 

3.1 Confidentiality: Pandora acknowledges that certain information you provide to us in relation to Your Content may be confidential (e.g., sensitive source information, unpublished works, personal narratives). Pandora agrees not to disclose any such confidential information to third parties without your prior consent unless required by law. However, once Your Content is published, it is considered public and not subject to any confidentiality obligations.

 

3.2 Use of Personal Data: Your contact details, including but not limited to your phone number(s) and email address(es) ("Your Contact Details"), will be used solely for internal operational purposes. Pandora will not publish Your Contact Details or disclose them to third parties without your consent, except for the purposes of verifying your identity or in connection with legal obligations.

 

3.3 Verification and Communication: We reserve the right to contact you using Your Contact Details to verify your identity, obtain additional information about Your Content, and confirm your views on any related stories. We may also contact you in relation to other stories or content opportunities unrelated to Your Content.

 

 

4. Contributor's Warranties and Representations

 

By submitting Your Content to Pandora, you represent and warrant that:

 

4.1 Ownership: You are the original creator and author of Your Content, or you have obtained all necessary rights, licenses, consents, and permissions to submit Your Content and grant the license outlined in these Terms.

 

4.2 Non-Infringement: Your Content does not infringe or violate the intellectual property rights, privacy rights, confidentiality rights, or any other legal rights of any third party. This includes but is not limited to copyrights, trademarks, patents, trade secrets, moral rights, or contractual rights.

 

4.3 Truthfulness and Accuracy: Your Content is truthful, accurate, and not misleading, and is based on your personal knowledge or experiences. You agree not to submit any content that is false, defamatory, or libelous.

 

4.4 No Hateful or Offensive Content: Your Content does not contain any hate speech, harassing, malicious, profane, discriminatory, obscene, or offensive material. Content that promotes violence, criminal conduct, or otherwise breaches laws or ethical standards will not be accepted.

 

4.5 No Impersonation or Misrepresentation: Your Content must not impersonate any individual or entity or misrepresent your identity, affiliation, or status. You may not present yourself as someone else or submit content on behalf of another person without their explicit consent.

 

4.6 Compliance with Laws: Your Content complies with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations, including those related to defamation, privacy, data protection, and intellectual property.

 

4.7 No Technical Harm: Your Content does not contain any harmful components such as viruses, malware, or other technologies intended to disrupt or damage software, hardware, or data.

 

4.8 No Conflicts of Interest: You must disclose any conflicts of interest that may arise from your submission, including financial, political, or personal ties to the subject matter of Your Content.

 

 

5. Content Editing, Modification, and Use by Political Pandora

 

5.1 Editorial Discretion: Pandora, and the Pandora Editorial Board, reserve the right to edit, modify, adapt, remove, or reject Your Content at its sole discretion, whether before or after publication. Such modifications may include but are not limited to edits for grammar, length, tone, style, clarity, legal compliance, or alignment with our editorial standards. This will be done with your permission and consent.

 

5.2 No Obligation to Publish: We are under no obligation to publish Your Content, and we reserve the right to remove Your Content from publication at any time, for any reason.

 

5.3 Use in Related Works: Pandora may use Your Content, in whole or in part, as part of other editorial or journalistic works, including related stories, compilations, or multimedia projects.

 

​

6. Third-Party Rights and Permissions

 

6.1 If Your Content includes material subject to third-party rights (e.g., photographs, images, video, audio, or text created by someone other than you), you are responsible for securing all necessary permissions and licenses before submission. You agree to provide Pandora with proof of such permissions upon request.

 

6.2 You agree to indemnify and hold Pandora harmless from any claims, liabilities, damages, or legal fees that may arise from a breach of third-party rights in relation to Your Content.

 

​

7. Minors’ Participation

 

7.1 If you are under the age of 18, you may only submit content to Pandora with the consent of your parent or legal guardian. By submitting Your Content, you confirm that you have obtained such consent.

 

7.2 If you are under 18, Pandora reserves the right to contact your parent or legal guardian to verify consent or discuss any aspect of your submitted content at its discretion.

 

​

8. Conflicts of Interest and Ethics

 

8.1 Contributors must disclose any potential or actual conflicts of interest related to their submissions. This includes but is not limited to financial interests, political affiliations, employment, or relationships with subjects of the content.

 

8.2 Pandora reserves the right to reject or modify Your Content if a conflict of interest is identified or disclosed.

 

​

9. Compensation and Volunteering

 

9.1 Voluntary Contribution: Participation in Political Pandora is entirely voluntary. As a self-funded youth-led publication, we do not offer monetary compensation, royalties, or other financial benefits for submitted or published content, unless explicitly agreed upon in writing prior to publication. By submitting content, you acknowledge that your contribution is made on a voluntary basis, driven by a shared commitment to our mission of fostering meaningful political discourse. 

 

9.2 Intellectual Property Use: The views, opinions, analysis, and intellectual property in Your Content remain your own, but the content you submit may not be duplicated or republished elsewhere for commercial purposes without Pandora's explicit written permission.

 

 

10. Termination of Association

 

10.1 Pandora reserves the right to terminate your association or contributor status at any time, following due process. Termination may occur for reasons including, but not limited to, violations of these Terms, or concerns related to legal, ethical, or editorial standards.

 

10.2 Upon termination, Pandora will retain the rights to any previously submitted content in accordance with these Terms.

 

 

11. Indemnity and Liability

 

11.1 You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Pandora, its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from your breach of these Terms or any representation or warranty made by you herein.

 

11.2 Pandora is not liable for any damages (whether direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or otherwise) arising from the use or publication of Your Content, or any third-party reliance on Your Content.

 

 

12. Miscellaneous

 

12.1. Severability: If any provision of these Terms is found to be unlawful, void, or unenforceable, that provision shall be severable from the remaining provisions and shall not affect their enforceability.

 

12.2 Entire Agreement: These Terms constitute the entire agreement between you and Pandora regarding Your Content and supersede any prior agreements or understandings, whether written or oral.

 

12.3 Waiver: No waiver by Pandora of any term or condition outlined 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.

 

 

By submitting Your Content to Pandora, you confirm that you have read, understood, and accepted these Terms and Conditions.