Terms and Conditions

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Welcome to The Marathon News.

These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") govern your access to and use of The Marathon News website, its content, and related services. By accessing or using our website, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree with any part of these Terms, please discontinue use of the website.

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1. About The Marathon News

The Marathon News is an independent digital news platform that provides news, information, opinion, multimedia content, and advertising services to communities throughout the Free State Province of South Africa.

 

2. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using this website, you confirm that you:

• Are at least 18 years of age, or are using the website under the supervision of a parent or legal guardian.

• Agree to comply with these Terms and all applicable laws and regulations.

• Will use the website responsibly and lawfully.

 

3. Use of the Website

You agree to use The Marathon News website only for lawful purposes.

You must not:

• Violate any applicable law or regulation.

• Upload or distribute malicious software, viruses, or harmful code.

• Attempt to gain unauthorised access to our systems or user accounts.

• Interfere with the operation, security, or performance of the website.

• Impersonate another person or organisation.

• Publish or transmit defamatory, abusive, discriminatory, threatening, or unlawful content.

• Use automated tools to copy, scrape, or harvest website content without written permission.

The Marathon News reserves the right to suspend or restrict access to users who breach these Terms.

 

4. Intellectual Property

Unless otherwise stated, all content published on The Marathon News website, including:

• News articles

• Photographs

• Videos

• Graphics

• Logos

• Website design

• Audio recordings

• Editorial content

• Databases

is the property of The Marathon News or its content providers and is protected by South African copyright and intellectual property laws.

You may:

• Read and share links to our content.

• Quote limited portions of articles with proper attribution and a link to the original article, where applicable.

You may not:

• Copy, republish, reproduce, sell, or distribute our content for commercial purposes without prior written permission.

 

5. User-Submitted Content

The Marathon News welcomes community news tips, photographs, videos, and other submissions.

By submitting content, you confirm that:

• You own the content or have the legal right to submit it.

• The information is accurate to the best of your knowledge.

• The content does not infringe the rights of any third party.

By submitting content, you grant The Marathon News a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to review, edit, publish, distribute, and archive the material across our digital platforms.

Submission does not guarantee publication.

 

6. Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions are made independently of advertisers, sponsors, political organisations, or external parties.

Advertising does not influence our news coverage.

Sponsored content and paid promotions are clearly identified.

 

7. Accuracy of Information

The Marathon News strives to ensure that all published information is accurate at the time of publication.

However, news develops over time, and information may change.

We do not guarantee that all content is free from error or omission.

Where significant errors are identified, corrections will be made in accordance with our Corrections Policy.

 

8. Comments and Community Standards

Where comments are enabled, users must contribute respectfully.

The Marathon News reserves the right to remove comments or content that:

• Are abusive or defamatory.

• Promote hatred or discrimination.

• Contain misinformation.

• Include spam or advertising.

• Violate any law.

• Infringe another person's rights.

Repeated violations may result in suspension or permanent removal from our platforms.

 

9. External Links

Our website may contain links to external websites for informational purposes.

The Marathon News does not endorse or accept responsibility for the content, products, services, or privacy practices of third-party websites.

Users access external websites at their own risk.

 

10. Advertising

Advertisements displayed on The Marathon News are provided by advertisers.

The Marathon News does not guarantee the accuracy of advertiser claims and encourages users to conduct their own due diligence before purchasing goods or services.

Advertising content does not constitute editorial endorsement.

 

11. Privacy

Your use of this website is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal information in accordance with applicable South African privacy laws, including the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).

 

12. Disclaimer

The content published by The Marathon News is provided for general information purposes only.

Nothing on this website should be regarded as legal, financial, medical, or professional advice.

Readers should seek appropriate professional advice before relying on information relating to personal, legal, financial, or health matters.

 

13. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, The Marathon News, its directors, employees, journalists, contributors, and affiliates shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or special damages arising from:

• Use of the website.

• Inability to access the website.

• Reliance on published content.

• Technical failures or interruptions.

• Third-party content or external links.

 

14. Indemnity

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless The Marathon News, its employees, contributors, and affiliates from any claims, losses, damages, liabilities, or expenses arising from your breach of these Terms or your misuse of the website.

 

15. Changes to These Terms

The Marathon News may update these Terms and Conditions from time to time.

Any changes will take effect immediately upon publication on this page.

Your continued use of the website after changes are published constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

 

16. Governing Law

These Terms and Conditions are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa.

Any disputes arising from the use of this website shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the competent courts of South Africa.

 

17. Contact Us

If you have any questions regarding these Terms and Conditions, please contact us:

The Marathon News

Email: themarathonnews03@gmail.com

General Enquiries: themarathonnews@gmail.com

Advertising: themarathonnews03@gmail.com

Editorial: themarathonnews03@gmail.com

We are committed to operating a transparent, ethical, and trustworthy news platform that serves the communities of the Free State with integrity and professionalism.