Palm and Prejudice Terms of Use, Editorial Notice and Legal Disclosures

Effective date: August 5, 2026
Last updated: August 5, 2026

Welcome to Palm & Prejudice. We believe journalism can be serious without being humorless and independent without being dull.

These Terms of Use, Editorial Notice and Legal Disclosures (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of Palm and Prejudice, including its website, newsletters, membership services, social-media channels, podcasts, videos, events, comments, submission forms and other products or services that link to these Terms (collectively, the “Services”).

By accessing or using the Services, creating an account, subscribing, purchasing a membership, posting a comment, or submitting material to us, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Services.

1. About Palm & Prejudice

Palm and Prejudice is an independent publication covering Key West, the Florida Keys, South Florida, and matters of interest to their residents, businesses and visitors. Its content may include:

News and investigative reporting;
Political and government coverage;
Coverage of civil, criminal and administrative proceedings;
Arts, entertainment and cultural reporting;
Reviews, criticism, columns and commentary;
Interviews, photographs, video and audio;
Satire, parody and humor;
Sponsored, partner or promotional content that is identified as such.

The inclusion of a person, business, organization, candidate, government body, event or controversy in our coverage does not imply endorsement, opposition, affiliation or wrongdoing.

2. Editorial Independence and Discretion

Palm and Prejudice retains sole editorial discretion over its coverage. This includes decisions concerning subjects, sources, interviews, headlines, photographs, publication timing, story length, placement, updates, corrections, responses and whether material will be published at all.

Nothing in these Terms gives any person or organization a contractual right to:

Receive coverage;
Receive equal or equivalent coverage;
Approve an article before publication;
Review quotations before publication;
Dictate a headline, photograph or story placement;
Require publication of a statement or response;
Require removal of accurate, lawful or newsworthy material.

We nevertheless strive to report fairly, distinguish allegations from established facts, seek appropriate comment when circumstances warrant, and correct material errors.

No advertiser, sponsor, donor, subscriber, political candidate, public official, source or subject of coverage acquires editorial control merely because of a financial, professional or personal relationship with Palm and Prejudice.

3. Reporting on Allegations, Investigations and Legal Proceedings

Our reporting may discuss arrests, criminal charges, police reports, investigations, lawsuits, administrative complaints, eviction proceedings, liens, financial disputes, disciplinary matters, government records, sworn allegations, witness statements and other contested matters.

Readers should understand that:

An allegation is not an established fact simply because it appears in a lawsuit, police report, complaint, affidavit, public filing or attributed statement.
An arrest, investigation or criminal charge is not proof of guilt.
A criminal defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Allegations in a civil action remain allegations unless admitted, resolved or adjudicated.
The filing of a lawsuit does not establish that the plaintiff’s claims are true or that the defendant is liable.
A dismissal, acquittal, settlement or resolution may occur after an article is published.
Public records and statements from third parties may contain disputed, incomplete or inaccurate information.
Attribution of a statement to a source, filing, lawyer, witness, candidate, official or other person does not mean Palm and Prejudice independently endorses every assertion contained in that statement.

Articles typically reflect the information reasonably available at the time of publication. Legal proceedings, investigations and public records may change. We may update an article when significant new information becomes available, but we do not guarantee that every previously published article will be continuously updated.

Readers seeking the complete status of a court case or government proceeding should consult official records.

4. Opinion, Analysis, Reviews, and Criticism

Palm and Prejudice publishes opinions, columns, analysis, arts criticism and reviews. These forms of expression may include subjective judgments, rhetorical language, humor, colorful descriptions, exaggeration, inference and strongly stated conclusions.

Reviews of performances, exhibitions, restaurants, events, candidates, public actions, businesses or creative works necessarily reflect the author’s subjective assessment. Another person may reasonably reach a different conclusion.

Where practical, opinion, analysis, commentary, review and similar content may be identified through headings, labels, context, authorship or the nature of the material. The views of an individual contributor do not necessarily represent those of every editor, contributor, advertiser, sponsor or partner associated with Palm and Prejudice.

5. Satire, Parody and Humor

Content expressly labeled or reasonably presented as Satire, Parody, Humor, Fiction or a comparable designation is intended for commentary and entertainment rather than as a literal statement of objectively verifiable fact.

Such content may use:

Exaggeration;
Absurdity;
Invented dialogue;
Fictional events;
Composite situations;
Altered chronology;
Caricature;
Irony;
Rhetorical devices;
References to real public figures, businesses, organizations or events.

Satirical or parodic content is not intended to indicate that the depicted events literally occurred unless the piece expressly identifies particular underlying facts as factual.

The use of a person’s or organization’s name in satire does not imply that the person or organization participated in, approved, sponsored or endorsed the work.

Content that is not labeled or reasonably presented as satire should not be assumed to be satire merely because Palm and Prejudice sometimes publishes humorous material. A satire label also does not convert otherwise factual reporting into satire.

6. Accuracy, Updates, Corrections and Responses

Palm and Prejudice endeavors to publish accurate, responsibly sourced information. Journalism is produced under real-world conditions, however, and no publication can guarantee that every item will be complete, current or free from error.

We may correct, clarify, update, append an editor’s note to, change a headline on, or otherwise modify published material. Depending on the nature of the change, the article may include a correction or update note.

A request for correction should include:

The headline and location of the article;
The exact statement claimed to be inaccurate;
A clear explanation of the alleged error;
Supporting records or other reliable evidence;
The requesting person’s full name and contact information;
The person’s relationship to the subject matter.

Correction requests should be sent through via email.

A request does not guarantee a correction, retraction, response, removal or other action. We may ask for additional information and may independently investigate the request.

Whenever practical, legal correspondence concerning published material should identify the exact statement at issue rather than making a generalized objection to an article.

Any written notice intended to invoke section 770.01 of the Florida Statutes or another formal legal procedure should also be emailed or sent via mail.

Providing this contact information does not modify any requirement for legally effective service or waive any objection, privilege, defense, immunity or procedural right available to Palm and Prejudice.

A correction, clarification, update, editor’s note, removal or voluntary response is not an admission of fault, falsity, liability, negligence or unlawful conduct.

7. No Professional Advice

The Services are provided for news, commentary, cultural coverage and entertainment.

Nothing published by Palm and Prejudice constitutes individualized legal, medical, financial, tax, investment, insurance, mental-health or other professional advice. Coverage of a lawsuit, medical issue, government action, business dispute or financial matter should not be relied upon as a substitute for advice from a qualified professional familiar with your circumstances.

You are responsible for decisions made based on your use or interpretation of the Services.

8. Tips, Sources, Pitches and Unsolicited Material

We welcome tips, documents, photographs, story ideas and pitches. However, an unsolicited communication is not automatically confidential, privileged, off the record, embargoed or protected by a source-confidentiality agreement.

Unless an authorized Palm and Prejudice editor expressly agrees otherwise:

Submission of material does not create a confidential-source relationship;
Submission does not create an attorney-client, fiduciary, employment or agency relationship;
We have no obligation to publish, return, preserve or respond to submitted material;
We may independently investigate the information;
We may already possess or be developing similar information;
We may share material internally with editors, contributors, contractors, legal counsel or service providers as reasonably necessary;
We may contact other people or organizations concerning the subject of the submission.

A promise of confidentiality must be expressly agreed to by an authorized representative of Palm and Prejudice. Individuals considering disclosure of highly sensitive information should weigh the risks of using ordinary email or social-media messaging.

By submitting material, you represent that you lawfully possess it and have the right to provide it. Do not unlawfully obtain records, impersonate another person, bypass security systems, trespass, threaten anyone, or violate a valid court order on our behalf.

Palm and Prejudice does not direct or authorize unlawful newsgathering.

9. Comments and Other User-Submitted Content

The Services may allow users to post comments, images, messages or other content (“User Content”).

You retain whatever ownership rights you lawfully hold in your User Content. By submitting it, you grant Palm and Prejudice a nonexclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, transferable and sublicensable license to host, reproduce, edit, excerpt, publish, distribute, display, archive and promote the User Content in connection with the Services and Palm & Prejudice.

You represent that:

You own the User Content or have permission to submit it;
Its submission and use will not infringe another person’s copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity or other rights;
It is not knowingly false, defamatory, fraudulent, threatening or unlawfully harassing;
It does not disclose unlawfully obtained private information;
It does not contain malicious code;
It does not impersonate another person or falsely suggest an affiliation;
It complies with applicable law.

We may moderate, edit, restrict, refuse, hide or remove User Content at any time. We are not obligated to monitor every submission and do not endorse opinions expressed by users.

You remain responsible for your User Content and any resulting consequences.

10. Advertising, Sponsorships and Partner Content

Palm and Prejudice may receive revenue from advertising, sponsorships, memberships, donations, affiliate links, event partnerships, promotional packages or paid content.

Sponsored, promotional, advertorial, partner or paid content will be identified through a label or other disclosure where appropriate. Payment may support the production or placement of that content but does not authorize the purchaser to disguise advertising as independent reporting.

Unless expressly identified as promotional content:

Payment does not guarantee favorable coverage;
A sponsorship does not prevent critical or unrelated reporting;
An advertiser does not receive advance approval over independent editorial content;
An advertisement does not constitute our endorsement of the advertiser’s claims, products or services.

Political advertisements or paid candidate communications may contain statements supplied by the purchaser. Where required, such material will identify its sponsor or purchaser. The purchaser is responsible for the truthfulness and legal compliance of material it supplies.

11. Intellectual Property

Except where otherwise indicated, the original text, photographs, graphics, branding, logos, audio, video, layout, design and other material appearing through the Services are owned by or licensed to Palm and Prejudice and are protected by applicable intellectual-property laws.

You may:

Share a link to an article;
Quote a reasonable, limited excerpt with clear attribution;
Print or save an article for personal, noncommercial use;
Use material as otherwise permitted by applicable copyright law.

Without prior written permission, you may not:

Republish an entire article or substantial portion of it;
Systematically copy or archive the Services;
Sell, license or commercially exploit our content;
Remove copyright, credit or attribution information;
Falsely present our work as your own;
Use our name or branding in a misleading manner;
Circumvent a paywall or access restriction;
Scrape the Services to create a competing publication, database or commercial product;
Use our original content to train, develop, fine-tune or evaluate a commercial artificial-intelligence or machine-learning system;
Use automated tools in violation of our robots.txt instructions or other technical restrictions.

Nothing in these Terms claims ownership over an underlying government record, public-domain work or third-party material merely because it is quoted, reproduced, discussed or linked by Palm & Prejudice. Our original reporting, photographs, annotations, selection, arrangement and presentation may nevertheless be protected.

Permission requests should be emailed at this time.

12. Copyright Complaints

A person who believes that material appearing through the Services infringes a copyright should send a written notice containing:

Identification of the copyrighted work;
Identification and location of the allegedly infringing material;
The complainant’s name, address, telephone number and email address;
A statement that the complainant has a good-faith belief that the use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent or the law;
A statement that the information supplied is accurate and that the complainant is the copyright owner or authorized to act for the owner;
A physical or electronic signature.

We may remove or restrict access to disputed material while reviewing a complaint. Removal is not an admission that infringement occurred.

13. Third-Party Content, Links and Embeds

The Services may quote, link to, display or embed material from courts, government agencies, social-media platforms, advertisers, ticketing services, payment processors, video platforms and other third parties.

Palm and Prejudice does not control every third-party service and is not responsible for its availability, accuracy, privacy practices, security, content or business conduct. A link, quotation or embed does not necessarily indicate endorsement.

Your dealings with a third party are governed by that party’s own terms and policies.

14. Accounts, Memberships and Subscriptions

You must be at least 13 years old to use the Services and at least 18 years old, or have the involvement of a parent or legal guardian, to make a purchase.

You are responsible for:

Providing accurate account information;
Protecting your login credentials;
Activity occurring through your account;
Promptly notifying us of suspected unauthorized access.

Paid memberships or subscriptions may automatically renew at the frequency and price disclosed during checkout until canceled. By purchasing a recurring subscription, you authorize our payment processor to charge the applicable payment method.

You may cancel using the same general method through which the subscription was accepted, through your account settings where available, or by contacting via email.

Cancellation ordinarily takes effect at the end of the current paid billing period. Fees are nonrefundable except where required by law or expressly stated otherwise. We will clearly disclose material automatic-renewal terms and provide notices required by applicable law.

We may change future subscription prices after providing reasonable notice. A price change will not retroactively alter charges already incurred.

Payments may be processed by third parties. We do not necessarily receive or store your complete payment-card information.

15. Prohibited Uses

You may not use the Services to:

Violate applicable law;
Threaten, stalk, harass or intimidate another person;
Publish knowingly unlawful or infringing material;
Interfere with the operation or security of the Services;
Probe or access restricted systems without authorization;
Introduce malware or destructive code;
Harvest personal information;
Send unsolicited bulk communications;
Impersonate Palm & Prejudice or another person;
Falsely suggest sponsorship, endorsement or affiliation;
Evade payment or access controls;
Use automated systems in a manner that burdens or disrupts the Services;
Reproduce or exploit our content beyond the permissions stated in these Terms.

We may investigate suspected violations and cooperate with lawful court orders or governmental requests.

16. Availability and Disclaimer of Warranties

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Services are provided “as is” and “as available.”

Palm and Prejudice does not warrant that:

The Services will always be available or uninterrupted;
Every item will be complete, current or error-free;
Links or third-party services will remain available;
The Services will meet every user’s particular expectations;
Files or communications will always be free of harmful components;
Any specific story, feature, comment or submission will remain online.

We may modify, suspend, restrict or discontinue any portion of the Services without liability, subject to applicable law.

Nothing in this section limits a right or obligation that cannot legally be disclaimed.

17. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Palm and Prejudice and its owners, officers, editors, writers, photographers, contractors, licensors, sponsors and service providers will not be liable to a user for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary or punitive damages arising from the user’s access to, reliance on, inability to use or misuse of the Services.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, our aggregate liability to a user arising from the Services or these Terms will not exceed the greater of:

The amount the user paid directly to Palm & Prejudice during the 12 months preceding the event giving rise to the claim; or
One hundred dollars.

These limitations apply only to the extent enforceable under applicable law. They do not create immunity for conduct for which liability cannot legally be excluded.

18. Indemnification

To the fullest extent permitted by law, you agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless Palm and Prejudice and its owners, editors, contributors, contractors and service providers from claims, liabilities, damages, judgments, costs and reasonable attorneys’ fees arising from:

Your material breach of these Terms;
Your unlawful use of the Services;
Your User Content;
Material you submit without the required ownership, permission or legal authority;
Your infringement or violation of another person’s rights.

This provision does not require you to indemnify Palm and Prejudice for conduct for which indemnification is prohibited by law.

19. Suspension and Termination

We may restrict, suspend or terminate an account or access to the Services when we reasonably believe that a user has violated these Terms, endangered another person, misused the Services, failed to pay required charges or exposed Palm & Prejudice to legal or security risk.

Provisions that by their nature should survive termination—including intellectual-property, licensing, disclaimer, limitation-of-liability, indemnification and governing-law provisions will remain in effect.

20. Governing Law and Venue

These Terms and disputes arising specifically from a user’s access to or use of the Services are governed by the laws of the State of Florida, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, proceedings concerning these Terms must be brought in a state court located in Monroe County, Florida, or a federal court serving Monroe County, Florida.

Nothing in these Terms:

Waives any constitutional, statutory, common-law or evidentiary protection available to Palm and Prejudice;
Waives any journalist’s privilege, fair-report privilege, opinion protection, copyright defense, anti-SLAPP remedy or other applicable defense;
Expands a user’s legal rights against Palm and Prejudice;
Restricts lawful journalism, commentary, criticism, satire or newsgathering;
Constitutes an admission that Palm and Prejudice is subject to jurisdiction in a location other than one required by applicable law.

21. Changes to These Terms

We may revise these Terms by posting an updated version and changing the “Last updated” date.

Material changes affecting paid subscribers may also be communicated through email, account notice or another reasonable method. Continued use of the Services after revised Terms become effective constitutes acceptance to the extent permitted by law.

22. Severability, No Waiver and Entire Agreement

If a provision of these Terms is held invalid or unenforceable, it will be limited or removed only to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions will continue in effect.

Our failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver of that provision or any other right.

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any additional terms presented during a purchase, submission or registration process, constitute the agreement between you and Palm & Prejudice concerning your use of the Services.

23. Contact Information

Questions concerning these Terms may emailed