Terms & Conditions

Effective from and last updated: 06/06/26

These Terms & Conditions govern your access to and use of sussexguardian.co.uk and any related pages, features or services that we operate together as the “Website”.

The Website is operated by Finn Media, trading as Sussex Guardian, of Hove Enterprise Centre Hove, East Sussex BN41 1UY.

You can contact us at [email protected].

By accessing or using the Website, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree to them, you must not use the Website.

Please also read our Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, Corrections and Complaints Policy and, where comments are available, our Community Guidelines.

Separate terms may apply to advertising bookings, commercial partnerships, competitions, subscriptions, events or other paid services.

1. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms where necessary to reflect changes to the Website, our services, our business or applicable law.

The date at the top of this page will show when the Terms were last updated. Revised Terms take effect from the date stated and will not retrospectively alter rights or obligations that arose before that date.

Where a change is material and it is reasonably practical to do so, we may provide additional notice on the Website or through an account-related communication.

2. The Website and our editorial content

Sussex Guardian publishes local news, information, features, opinion, community coverage, events and sport relating primarily to East Sussex, West Sussex and Brighton & Hove.

We aim to publish accurate and responsible journalism. However:
Information may change after an article has been published.
Breaking-news reports may be updated as further information becomes available.
We may correct, clarify, update, archive or withdraw content.
Event details, opening hours, travel information, prices and similar time-sensitive information should be confirmed with the relevant organiser or provider before you act on them.
Views expressed by guest writers, interviewees, advertisers or commenters are their own unless we expressly state otherwise.

Nothing on the Website constitutes legal, medical, financial or other professional advice. You should obtain appropriate professional advice before making decisions that depend on such information.

3. Permitted use

You may access and use the Website for lawful personal use and ordinary internal business reference.

You may:

Share links to Sussex Guardian pages.
Use the Website’s official sharing functions.
Print or save a reasonable number of pages for personal reference.
Quote limited extracts where permitted by law, provided that you give appropriate credit to Sussex Guardian and, where reasonably possible, link to the original article.

Unless we have given written permission, you must not:

Republish or reproduce a substantial part of an article, image, video, database or other Website content.
Copy Website content for commercial publication or resale.
Create a competing publication, archive, feed or database using our content.
Remove or alter copyright notices, bylines, credits or other rights information.
Present Sussex Guardian content as your own.
Frame or embed substantial Website content in a way that misrepresents its source.
Use the Sussex Guardian name, logo or branding in a way that suggests sponsorship, approval or affiliation.

Nothing in these Terms transfers ownership of any intellectual property rights to you.

4. Intellectual property

Unless stated otherwise, intellectual property rights in the Website and its editorial content are owned by or licensed to the Website operator.

This includes articles, headlines, photographs, illustrations, graphics, videos, audio, branding, logos, page designs, databases and software.

Some material may belong to contributors, agencies, photographers, licensors, public bodies or other third parties. Their rights remain unaffected.

Third-party names, logos and trade marks belong to their respective owners. Their appearance on the Website does not necessarily indicate an endorsement or commercial relationship.

5. Automated access, scraping and artificial intelligence

Except where we have given prior written permission or applicable law expressly permits the activity, you must not use automated systems to:

Scrape, copy, extract or systematically download Website content.
Build or maintain a competing content archive, news service or database.
Republish or redistribute Website content at scale.
Circumvent technical restrictions, rate limits or access controls.
Train, fine-tune, ground, test or evaluate an artificial-intelligence model using substantial Website content.
Generate substitute articles, summaries or services that reproduce a substantial part of our protected content.

This restriction does not prohibit ordinary indexing by general-purpose search engines where that indexing complies with our published technical instructions.

Nothing in this section restricts an activity that the law permits and that cannot lawfully be excluded by contract.

6. User Content and editorial submissions

“User Content” means material that you post publicly on the Website or expressly submit to us for possible publication. It may include comments, text, photographs, video, audio, documents and other material.

You retain ownership of any rights you hold in your User Content.
By posting User Content publicly or submitting it expressly for publication, you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence, for the duration of the applicable rights, to:
Store and reproduce the material.
Review, edit, crop, format, adapt or translate it.
Publish and communicate it to the public.
Distribute it through the Website, newsletters and Sussex Guardian social-media accounts.
Supply it to technical service providers or distribution partners where necessary for publication.
Preserve it in our editorial and historical archives.
Promote the article or coverage in which it appears.

We will not sell ownership of your User Content to another person. Any sublicensing will be limited to what is reasonably required to host, publish, distribute, archive or promote Sussex Guardian content.

By submitting User Content, you confirm that:

You own it or have permission to submit it and grant the above licence.
Its publication will not infringe copyright, privacy, confidentiality, data-protection or other rights.
It is accurate to the best of your knowledge and is not deliberately misleading.
You have disclosed any material alteration, staging or use of generative AI.
It is not subject to a court order, reporting restriction or contractual restriction that prevents publication.
Where you act for an organisation, you have authority to submit its press release, statement, photograph or other material.
Where identifiable people appear in material, you have any permissions reasonably necessary for the proposed submission and publication.
You consent to reasonable editorial changes. We will not knowingly make a material alteration and then attribute the altered meaning to you in a misleading way.
Submission does not guarantee publication, a credit, payment or return of the material unless we have agreed otherwise in writing.

Confidential information and news sources

Private correspondence and material supplied solely as a confidential news tip are not treated as User Content merely because they were emailed to us.

However, sending information to Sussex Guardian does not automatically create a confidential-source relationship. If confidentiality or anonymity is important, tell us before sending sensitive information and ask us to confirm the basis on which we can receive it.

Do not assume that your name, identity or documents will be kept confidential unless this has been expressly agreed.

7. Prohibited content and conduct

You must not submit, upload, post or transmit content that:
Is unlawful, defamatory or deliberately false.
Breaches a court order, injunction, reporting restriction or the law of contempt.
Infringes copyright, trade marks or other intellectual property rights.
Breaches privacy, confidentiality or data-protection rights.
Contains another person’s personal information without a lawful and legitimate reason.
Threatens, harasses, abuses, intimidates or encourages violence against another person.
Promotes hatred or unlawful discrimination.
Sexually exploits or endangers a child.
Impersonates another person or misrepresents your identity or authority.
Presents fabricated, materially manipulated or AI-generated media as an authentic record of a real event.
Encourages or facilitates criminal activity.
Contains malware, malicious code or harmful files.
Constitutes spam, unsolicited advertising or repetitive promotional material.

You must not:

Attempt to gain unauthorised access to the Website, its server or its administrative systems.
Interfere with the Website’s operation or security.
Collect information about other users without a lawful basis.
Use the Website to harass, monitor or target another person.
Circumvent a suspension, block or moderation decision.

8. Comments, moderation and reporting

Where comments or other public contributions are enabled, we may moderate them before or after publication.

We may edit, reject, hide or remove User Content and may close a discussion, restrict participation, suspend an account or block access where we reasonably believe this is necessary to:

Enforce these Terms or our Community Guidelines.
Protect another person’s rights or safety.
Comply with legal or regulatory obligations.
Protect an active court case or investigation.
Prevent spam, abuse, manipulation or disruption.
Protect the Website’s security and editorial integrity.

We do not endorse User Content simply because it appears on the Website.

We are not obliged to monitor every submission continuously, except to the extent that applicable law requires otherwise.

To report unlawful, abusive or rights-infringing content, email [email protected] with:

The URL of the relevant page.
A description of the content.
The reason you believe it should be removed.
Your contact details.
Any supporting evidence.

Use “Content report” in the subject line.

We will review sufficiently detailed reports and take such action as we consider appropriate. We may ask for further information, preserve relevant evidence or refer a matter to the appropriate authorities where required or justified.

A person whose contribution has been removed may use the same address to request a review, explaining why they believe the decision should be reconsidered.

9. Editorial decisions, corrections and complaints

Sussex Guardian retains editorial control over what it publishes, how material is presented and whether an article remains available.

Submitting a press release, photograph, statement, event listing or story suggestion does not guarantee coverage.

Editorial decisions are made independently from advertising arrangements. Purchasing advertising does not guarantee editorial coverage or influence how a story is reported.

To report a possible factual error or make an editorial complaint, email [email protected] with:

“Correction” or “Editorial complaint” in the subject line.

A link to the relevant article.

The exact statement or material concerned.

An explanation of why you believe it is inaccurate or inappropriate.

Any evidence supporting your complaint.

The correction or resolution you are requesting.

Further information is available in our Corrections and Complaints Policy.

10. Copyright and other rights complaints

We use material that we own, license, receive with permission or are otherwise legally entitled to publish. Whether a statutory copyright exception applies depends on the facts of the particular use.

If you believe that material on the Website infringes your copyright or another intellectual property right, send a notice to [email protected] with “Copyright complaint” in the subject line.

Your notice should include:
Your full name and contact details.
Identification of the protected work.
The URL and description of the allegedly infringing material.
Evidence that you own the right or are authorised to act for the owner.
An explanation of why the Website’s use is unauthorised.
A statement that the information in your notice is accurate and submitted in good faith.

We may ask for additional information before acting.

Where appropriate, we may remove or temporarily disable access to material while investigating. We may provide relevant parts of the complaint to the contributor or supplier of the material where it is lawful and necessary to do so.

Material may remain available or be restored where we conclude that we have permission, a licence, a statutory exception or another lawful basis for publication.

Knowingly submitting a false or misleading rights complaint may cause loss to Sussex Guardian or another person.

11. Advertising and sponsored content

Advertising, sponsored content and commercial partnerships will be identified where required so that readers can distinguish them from independent editorial coverage.

Advertising bookings and commercial services may be governed by separate written terms.

Unless expressly stated otherwise:

Sussex Guardian is not a party to transactions between readers and advertisers.

An advertisement does not amount to an endorsement of the advertiser.

Readers should check an advertiser’s claims, prices, availability and terms before entering into a transaction.

Advertisers are responsible for ensuring that their advertisements and offers are accurate and lawful, subject to any responsibilities that remain with us under applicable law.

12. Third-party links and embedded services

The Website may contain links to, or embedded content from, third-party websites and services, including maps, videos, social-media platforms, ticketing services and event organisers.

We do not control those third parties and cannot guarantee their continuing availability, accuracy, security or practices.

A link or embed does not necessarily mean that Sussex Guardian endorses the third party or its content.

Third-party services may apply their own terms, privacy policies and cookie practices. Please review those documents before using the relevant service.

13. Data protection and cookies

We process personal information in accordance with applicable UK data-protection law.

Our Privacy Policy explains:

What personal information we collect.

Why and on what basis we use it.

Who we share it with.

How long we retain it.

Your data-protection rights.

How to make a data-protection complaint.

Our Cookie Policy explains the cookies and similar technologies used on the Website and the choices available to you.

Do not send highly sensitive personal information by ordinary email unless it is necessary and you have first discussed an appropriate method of transmission with us.

If you submit another person’s personal information, you are responsible for ensuring that you have a lawful and legitimate reason for doing so.

14. Website availability and security

We may change, suspend, withdraw or restrict any part of the Website for maintenance, security, editorial, legal or operational reasons.

We do not guarantee that the Website will always be available, uninterrupted or free from errors.

Although we take reasonable precautions, we cannot guarantee that the Website or every file available through it will be free from malicious code. You are responsible for using appropriate security software and maintaining secure devices and backups.

You must not knowingly introduce viruses, malicious code or any material designed to interfere with the Website or another user’s device.

15. Liability

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability for:

Death or personal injury caused by negligence.

Fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation.

A breach of statutory rights that cannot lawfully be excluded.

Any other liability that the law does not permit us to exclude or limit.

Consumers

If you use the Website as an individual for purposes mainly outside your trade, business, craft or profession, we are responsible for loss or damage that is a foreseeable result of our breach of these Terms or our failure to use reasonable care and skill.

We are not responsible to a consumer for losses arising from business activities, including loss of profit, revenue, business opportunity or commercial data.

Nothing in these Terms affects your statutory consumer rights.

Business users

If you use the Website for business purposes, then, to the fullest extent permitted by law:

The Website is made available on an “as available” basis.

We exclude warranties and conditions that would otherwise be implied by law.

We are not liable for indirect or consequential loss.

We are not liable for loss of profit, revenue, business, contracts, anticipated savings, goodwill, opportunity or data arising from use of, or inability to use, the Website.

We are not responsible for delay or failure caused by circumstances outside our reasonable control.

16. Accounts, suspension and termination

Where the Website permits you to create an account, you must provide accurate information and keep your login details secure.

You are responsible for activity conducted through your account unless it results from our failure to use reasonable security measures.

We may suspend or terminate an account or restrict access where we reasonably believe that:

These Terms have been breached.

The account presents a security risk.

Suspension is required by law.

The account is being used fraudulently or abusively.

Continued access could harm another person or the Website.

Termination does not affect rights and obligations that arose before termination. Provisions intended to continue—including intellectual property, published-content licences and liability provisions—will remain in effect where appropriate.

17. Governing law and jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales.

If you are a consumer resident in the United Kingdom, you retain any mandatory rights available under the law of the part of the United Kingdom in which you live and may be entitled to bring proceedings in your local courts.

If you use the Website for business purposes, the courts of England and Wales will have exclusive jurisdiction over disputes arising from these Terms or your use of the Website.

18. General provisions

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in effect.

A delay or failure by us to enforce a provision does not waive our right to enforce it later.

No person other than you and the Website operator has a right to enforce these Terms, except where separate written terms expressly provide otherwise.

Where separate terms apply to a particular service, those separate terms will take precedence in relation to that service if there is a conflict.