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News Policy

Official City of Mission Viejo News Policy

  1. Purpose.  The City of Mission Viejo has initiated the “Mission Viejo Life News” (hereafter “News”) and eNewsletter to provide another avenue to disseminate up-to-date information about programs, projects and services in the City and to give citizens and visitors another place to share their opinions and to learn about City activities.  Submissions of content for inclusion in the News and eNewsletter may consist of upcoming news and events information that pertains to City-sponsored, City co-sponsored, and local non-profit organizations.  The information on the News and eNewsletter is usually updated daily.
     
  2. Definitions.
    1. Applicant: City of Mission Viejo representatives or agents representing local not-for-profit organizations.
    2. City of Mission Viejo Co-sponsored: An event coordinated and conducted through a partnership between the City of Mission Viejo and another organization.
    3. City of Mission Viejo Sponsored: An event coordinated and conducted entirely by the City of Mission Viejo.
    4. Event: Organized function, open to the public, located within the City of Mission Viejo or that benefits Mission Viejo residents, and lasts no more than 14 consecutive days.  Meetings, classes, and other activities that occur on a regular basis as well as announcements or miscellaneous information are typically not considered events for inclusion in the News or eNewsletter unless sponsored or co-sponsored by the City of Mission Viejo.
    5. Local Not-for-profit Organization: Organizations (in Mission Viejo or that serve Mission Viejo residents) registered with the State of California as a “not-for-profit” community organization, exempt under section 501C-(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
       
  3. News Use Policy.  The Mission Viejo Life News is a designated public forum, and needs to be governed by policies and procedures to ensure the discussion is civil and allows a diversity of opinion. As such, the following general procedures will be followed:
    1. Those individuals wishing to write comments on the News must provide basic information, including their name and a valid email address.  Names and valid email addresses shall be kept confidential by the City of Mission Viejo unless disclosure is necessary and/or required:
              1. To investigate and/or prosecute any acts of misconduct,
              2. Pursuant to a court order, and/or
              3. Pursuant to any applicable federal, State or local law
    2. The following comment and/or posting practices will be followed by the City:
      1. Comments may not contain profanity, racial slurs and/or material
        in violation in any federal, State or local laws, including, but not limited to, laws related to defamation;
      2. Comments may not contain links to other websites outside of the City of Mission Viejo website;
      3. Comments may not contain campaign material related to candidates and/or measures, or otherwise be in violation of federal, State or local laws related to the use of public funds;
      4. Comments containing advertisements shall be prohibited
    3. In order to ensure compliance with California open meeting laws, members of City Council and/or other members of Commissions and standing committees that are subject to the Brown Act, have to identify themselves. Those members are also unable to comment and/or post on the News if comments have been posted by two other members of the body on which they serve.
    4. Comments posted in response to the News shall be reviewed by the City Manager’s office for compliance with these policies and procedures. No comments shall be maintained on the News that are not in compliance with these policies and procedures. Inquiries regarding a deleted comment may be directed to the Webmaster at webmaster@cityofmissionviejo.org. Any requests for re-posting of the comment must be made in writing to webmaster@cityofmissionviejo.org within 48 hours of the deletion, and must contain an explanation for the request.
    5. Abuse of this policy may be reported to webmaster@cityofmissionviejo.org.
    6. The News shall be subject to the Website Usage Policies of the City of Mission Viejo website.
    7. The City has the right to remove any content or information that is submitted or posted on the News if we believe that it violates any website or news policy.
       
  4. News and eNewsletter Content Submission Policy.
    1. The City of Mission Viejo shall, for the benefit of the community at large, allow for inclusion in the News and eNewsletter Mission Viejo community news and events information.
    2. Requests to include news or event information in the News and eNewsletter must be coordinated with the Community Relations Office per the City’s Policies and/or Administrative Regulations, including, but not limited to, the City’s Mission Viejo Life News, Website and Privacy Policies. 
    3. For content that is covered by intellectual property rights, the applicant specifically gives the City the following permission: the applicant grants the City a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide license to use any content that the applicant posts on or submits for posting.
    4. The inclusion of information on the News and eNewsletter is limited to City of Mission Viejo sponsored, City of Mission Viejo co-sponsored, and local “not-for-profit” organization events.  Applicants may be required to provide documentation that confirms “not-for-profit” status. 
    5. The Community Relations Department shall consider requests to include information in the News and eNewsletter in the following priority:
          1. City of Mission Viejo sponsored events
          2. City of Mission Viejo co-sponsored events
          3. Local “not-for-profit” organization events
                a. Size of event
                b. Date written request received
    6. News and event information shall typically be included in the eNewsletter for daily publication.  The news and event information shall typically be included in the News for a length of time decided by the City based on volume of news and events.  Priority will be given to:
          1. City of Mission Viejo sponsored events
          2. City of Mission Viejo co-sponsored events
          3. Fourteen days prior to event for “not-for-profit” organizations
       
  5. News and eNewsletter Submission Procedures.
    1. News and events information to be considered for inclusion in the News and eNewsletter must be submitted to the Community Relations Office, preferably a minimum of three weeks prior to the event.  A submission request form is located here. 
    2. Information relating to the event or news article such as event name, date, phone number for more information, and contact person must be included with the request.  Additional information such as event details, anticipated attendance, website, email address, and organization information is encouraged and may be required for a better understanding of the event and organization. 
    3. The City Manager and/or his designee shall review all information submitted and have the final decision as to the information to be displayed in the News or eNewsletter, including type of event to be included, number of events to be included, and rejection of requests based on the established policies.
    4. The Community Relations Office or designee shall notify the applicant whether the request is approved or denied.
       
  6. Miscellaneous.  All policies and regulations are subject to change at any time, and without advance notice.  All other City website and privacy policies apply.