Effective Oct. 21, 2026.
This page has three parts: the Privacy Policy, the Terms of Use, and our Accessibility statement.
Privacy Policy
This policy explains what Columbia County Tribune LLC (“the Tribune,” “we,” “us”) collects when you use columbiacountytribune.com, what we do with it, and the choices you have. We wrote it in plain language. If something is unclear, email us at info@columbiacountytribune.com.
The short version
- We collect what you choose to send us through our forms or by email, plus the basic technical records every website keeps.
- We may use software tools, including AI tools, to help us review what you send us.
- We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use it for advertising.
- We never publish the email address or phone number you send us.
- Web forms are not anonymous. See “Web forms are not anonymous” below.
Who we are
Columbia County Tribune LLC publishes the Columbia County Tribune, an independent local news site for Columbia County, Oregon. You can reach us at info@columbiacountytribune.com.
What you send us
We collect only what you type into a form or put in an email. Here is what each form asks for.
- Submit a Tip: your tip (required). Optionally, a town or place, a photo or document, your name, your email, your phone number, and whether we may name you as a source.
- Letters to the Editor: your name, town, email, phone number, and your letter. If we publish your letter, we print your name and town with it. We use your email and phone number only to confirm that you wrote it.
- Correction Request: the story, what is wrong, what is correct and how you know, and your email. Optionally, a link to a source and your name.
- Submit an Obituary: the name, dates, town, and obituary text for the person who died, any service details, and an optional photo. Also your name, your relationship to the person, your email, your phone number, and optionally a funeral home. If we publish the obituary, we publish the information about the person who died, and a “Provided by” line if you gave us one. We use your contact details only to confirm the obituary before we publish it.
- Contributions: if you make a contribution, Stripe collects your payment details on its own checkout page. Stripe gives us your name, email address, the amount and date, and limited card details such as the card brand and last four digits. We use them only to process and record your contribution, send receipts, answer your questions, and handle cancellations and refunds. We never see or store your full card number.
- Email: if you email us, we keep your message and your email address.
How we use what you send us
We use it to read and follow up on tips, confirm letters and obituaries before publishing, fix errors in our stories, and answer you. We may also use software tools, including artificial intelligence (AI) tools, to help us read, sort, summarize, and check what you send us. If you tell us we may not name you as a source, we will not name you. We do not use what you send us for advertising, and we do not add you to a mailing list without asking.
Web forms are not anonymous
When you send a form, your internet address (IP address) and browser details are visible to the website’s hosting and security services, even if you leave every optional field blank. If you need to reach us more privately, see the Submit a Tip page.
Information collected automatically
Like most websites, our hosting and security tools keep basic technical records: your IP address, browser type, the pages requested, and the date and time. We use them to run the site, keep it secure, fix problems, and block abuse. These services work for us: Hostinger (website hosting, email, and content delivery), Wordfence (security), LiteSpeed Cache (page speed), and Google Analytics (website analytics). Each has its own privacy policy.
Spam protection (Cloudflare Turnstile)
The Tribune uses Cloudflare Turnstile to protect its forms from automated spam. The Turnstile script loads from Cloudflare on every page of this site, not only on pages with forms, so Cloudflare receives technical signals from your browser, such as your IP address, browser details, and the address of this site, whenever you open a page. On a page with a form, the check also runs when you open or send the form, so it can tell people from bots. Cloudflare says it uses these signals to detect and block bots and to improve its bot detection, and that it cannot directly identify individuals from them. You can read Cloudflare’s explanation in its Turnstile privacy information.
Cookies and analytics
You do not need an account to read the Tribune, and we do not show ads based on your browsing. We use Google Analytics to understand how many people read the Tribune, which stories they read, how they found us and what kind of device they use. Google Analytics sets cookies in your browser so it can tell a new visit from a return visit, and Google receives information about your visit, such as the pages you view, your browser and device, and your general location.
We also use Google signals, one of Google Analytics’ advertising features. For visitors who are signed in to a Google account and have allowed Google to personalize ads, it lets Google add information it already has, such as age range, gender and interests, and recognize visits across devices. We see this only as totals for all readers, never for any one person, and we do not use it to show you ads.
You can manage this in your Google account’s ad settings, block these cookies in your browser, or use Google’s Analytics opt-out browser add-on. Google’s privacy policy explains how it handles this information. Some tools that run the site, such as security and caching tools, may also set cookies they need to work.
Who we share it with
Our own staff, and the service providers and software tools we use to run the site, send email, and do our reporting, including AI tools. Some are named above, and we may use others as we need them. Each has its own terms and privacy policy. Contributions are processed by Stripe on its own checkout page. We may also share information if the law requires it, or to protect someone’s safety. We do not sell or rent your information.
How long we keep it
We keep submissions as long as we need them to report, publish, correct, and answer questions about our work. We generally delete unpublished submissions and their attachments after about 12 months. Our email delivery log is kept for about 30 days. We keep records of contributions as long as tax and accounting rules require. Stories, letters, and obituaries we publish stay on the site until we remove them.
Your choices
You can email us at any time to ask what we have from you, to correct it, or to ask us to delete it. We will answer as soon as we can. We may keep what we need for legal reasons or because it is part of work we have already published. If you want a published obituary or letter changed or removed, email us and tell us which one.
Children
The Tribune is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect information from them. If you think a child has sent us information, email us and we will delete it.
Security
We take reasonable steps to protect what you send us, but no website or email system is completely secure, so please keep that in mind when deciding what to send.
Changes to this policy
We may change this policy from time to time. The effective date at the top of this page shows when it last changed.
Contact us about privacy
Questions about this policy: info@columbiacountytribune.com. Mailing address: coming soon.
Terms of Use
These terms apply when you use columbiacountytribune.com. They are between you and Columbia County Tribune LLC (“the Tribune,” “we,” “us”). By using the site, you agree to them. If you do not agree, please do not use the site.
Using our content
Everything on this site, including stories, photographs, graphics, and design, belongs to the Tribune or to the people who gave it to us, and all rights are reserved. You may link to our pages, share them, and quote short excerpts with credit to Columbia County Tribune and a link to the story. For anything more, such as republishing a full story or photograph or using our content commercially, email info@columbiacountytribune.com and ask for written permission first.
What you send us
When you send us a letter, photo, tip, obituary, event, or other material, you give the Tribune permission to use it in our reporting and, if we choose to publish it, to publish it, edit it for length, clarity, and accuracy, and keep what we publish in our archive. You confirm that you wrote it or took it, or that you have the right to send it, and that it does not break the law or violate anyone else’s rights. We may decline to publish anything, and we cannot promise to publish a submission or to publish it by a certain date. Each form’s page explains its own rules, such as the length limit for letters. The Privacy Policy above explains how we handle what you send us.
Links and information from others
Our pages may link to other websites, and our event listings may include details supplied by event organizers. We do not control other websites, and we cannot guarantee that linked sites or organizer-supplied event details are accurate or current. Check with the organizer before you go to an event.
General information only
Our stories are for general information. They are not legal, medical, or financial advice.
Contributions
Readers can support the Tribune with a voluntary payment, once or every month. A contribution helps pay for our local reporting. It does not buy goods, special access, or any say over what we cover. Columbia County Tribune LLC is a business, not a nonprofit, so contributions are not tax-deductible.
Payments are processed by Stripe on Stripe’s own checkout page. We never see or store your full card number.
Monthly contributions continue every month until you cancel. The amount you choose is charged once a month, starting on the day you sign up. You can cancel at any time online, using the “Manage or cancel your monthly contribution” link on our Support page, or by emailing info@columbiacountytribune.com from the address you used, or by telling us that address. Cancelling stops all future charges.
Refunds. If you made a contribution by mistake, or were charged after you asked to cancel, email us within 30 days of the charge and we will refund it.
Questions about a contribution: info@columbiacountytribune.com.
Mistakes and our responsibility
We work to report accurately and to correct mistakes when we find them. If you think we got something wrong, use the Correction Request form. We provide the site and its content “as is” and cannot guarantee that it is always accurate, complete, current, or available. To the extent the law allows, the Tribune is not responsible for losses that result from your use of the site or your reliance on its content.
Governing law
These terms are governed by Oregon law.
Changes to these terms
We may change these terms from time to time. The effective date at the top of this page shows when they last changed. If you keep using the site after a change, you accept the new terms.
Contact us about these terms
Questions about these terms: info@columbiacountytribune.com. Mailing address: coming soon.
Accessibility
The Tribune wants everyone in Columbia County to be able to read and use this site. We are working toward meeting the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2, Level AA. We have not yet completed a full accessibility review, so we do not claim that the site meets that standard today.
If you have trouble using any part of this site, email info@columbiacountytribune.com with the page address, what happened, and the device or assistive technology you were using. We will try to fix the problem or give you the information another way.