Policies

Science Friday Privacy Policy

Effective Date: January 1, 2019

At Science Friday, we recognize the importance of privacy to our fans, listeners, donors, and project participants. We take your privacy seriously. This policy was written to communicate about Science Friday’s data collection and usage, which includes this website and any other Science Friday websites, apps, and any embeddable content that we may make available for display on outside websites or digital platforms (collectively, the “Science Friday Services”). This Privacy Policy does not cover any third party sites or services or your use of them; we suggest that you review those sites’ policies to learn more about their privacy practices.

Any personal information we collect is hosted within our secure database, only available to certain personnel, and never sold to other companies.

Information We collect

You may choose to provide personal information (such as your name, address, telephone number, email address, credit card information) when using Science Friday Services. The ways you may provide information and the types of information you may submit include the following:

Newsletters And Surveys

In order to properly deliver consumer requested newsletters and alerts, we collect name and email address. We also collect name, email, and occasionally other demographic information, as volunteered on surveys and polls.

Making A Donation

When you make a donation to the Science Friday Initiative, you may choose to provide contact information.  We will not retain any personal financial information such as your credit card details.

Attending An Event

When you attend a Science Friday event, you may choose to provide contact information through your ticket purchase or registration. We will never retain any personal financial information such as your credit card details or sell your information to third parties.

Contests And User Engagement

From time to time, we may offer various opportunities for you to interact with Science Friday – in particular, by sending us your writings/audio/photos/videos in response to specific requests, participating in Science Friday live events, or through crowdsourcing activities like Science Club. Please note that these opportunities may have their own rules; these rules, which govern your participation in these contests or activities, may give Science Friday additional rights to use entries or submissions. If there is any conflict or inconsistency between such rules and this Policy, the rules will govern and take precedence.

Access To Your Information

Because we value the longevity of our relationships with our supporters, we do generally retain user information in our database. If you would like to access, transfer, review, or correct your Personal Information, or to request that it be deleted or restricted in use, please contact us.

Sharing Of Your Information

Information and testimonials that have been submitted via online forms, videos, or voice recordings in connection with engagement opportunities, crowdfunding, or crowdsourced storytelling will be shared in a method that limits personally identifiable information on public platforms and our website(s) and will be limited to First Name/Last Initial or First Name and Last Name (if provided) plus Geographic Location.

We do not share personally identifiable information with third parties, with one limited exception: we may disclose personally identifiable information about you if we have a good faith belief that doing so is required by law, such as pursuant to a subpoena or other judicial or administrative order. We may share aggregated demographic information about our reader base with our third-party advertising partners, including browser information and traffic statistics. We do not link this data to individual readers’ accounts or personally identifiable information. 

Updates To This Privacy Policy

Note that by using Science Friday Services you signify your agreement to this Privacy Policy. This Privacy Policy may change from time to time. Changes to this Privacy Policy will become effective when those changes are posted to the Site. Your continued use of the services and the sites subsequent to any changes to this Privacy Policy constitutes your acceptance of the changes. Please review this statement periodically to ensure continuing familiarity with its most current provisions.

Science Friday Underwriting Policy

Since 1993, Science Friday has presented relevant and engaging science information to the general public. We take seriously our reputation as an un-biased and trustworthy source for science news. Our editorial integrity is essential for success in our mission to fill the growing news void with well-balanced coverage of science and technology.

Science Friday depends on support from foundation and corporate sponsors that require online and on-air recognition.

To protect our journalistic integrity, we have adopted guidelines that govern approval of underwriters and define the ways by which underwriters achieve recognition on-air and in associated promotions.

Terms For Underwriting (Grantmakers And Sponsors) Candidates:

  1. First and foremost, underwriters may not exert editorial approval or control, or in any way act to influence the content of any programming.

  2. Underwriters will not be accepted where the public might reasonably perceive bias in program content based on the public position or interests of the underwriter.

  3. Underwriters will not be accepted that are involved in illegal activities or in a consistent pattern of unethical behavior.

  4. Science Friday reserves the right to determine that an underwriter or the content of a proposed announcement are inconsistent with the Science Friday mission. In these cases, sponsorship may be declined.

  5. Must not be political organizations or engage in political advocacy for candidates or causes.

Science Friday accepts sponsorship as an endorsement of the value of the Science Friday radio program and our other media products.  Any implied endorsement flows from the underwriter to Science Friday, not Science Friday to the underwriter.

Terms For On-Air Underwriting Recognition:

Science Friday requires the submission of underwriting credits for review; credits that in the judgment of Science Friday do not meet the standards contained herein may be withheld from distribution until altered to comply with these guidelines.

The interpretation and application of this policy is the responsibility of Science Friday management, whose decisions regarding the approval of underwriters and underwriting credits are final.

Underwriting credits acknowledge organizations that fund Science Friday programming. The legal name of the underwriter will be read immediately after the standard opening phrase, “Support for Science Friday comes from…”

Underwriting Credits MUST:

  • Be in compliance with standard FCC guidelines
  • Be non-commercial in nature and consistent with the tone and content of public radio programming.
  • Be entirely factual, non-promotional, and value-neutral.
  • Be 10 seconds in length (not including the standard opening phrase).

Underwriting Credits MAY Include:

  • A description of products or services, including brand names.
  • The location of underwriter, products, or services.
  • A description of key or target markets.
  • Long-standing slogans that identify the underwriter’s business.
  • A non-promotional telephone number and/or website address, but not include a “call to action.”

Underwriting Credits MAY NOT Include:

  • Qualitative or comparative statements.
  • Advocacy for a specific policy, candidate, or legislation.
  • Ambiguous or misleading statements.
  • Pricing information, discounts or incentives to purchase products or services.

In addition to these legal requirements, underwriting announcements must be in keeping with the non-commercial nature of our program. To maintain the consistency of our sound, all messages are read or prerecorded by the program host or professional on-air announcers provided by Science Friday, its producers, or affiliates.

Credits are generally aired near the beginning or end of the program and at natural intervals within the program. Credits may be changed or rotated within a program. Placement of an underwriting credit adjacent to a particular story or story topic can not be guaranteed.

These guidelines are revised as required to maintain compliance with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) policy and with generally accepted industry practice.

To learn more about sponsorship and/or receive a sponsorship proposal, please e-mail.

Science Friday underwriting policy last updated 03/19/2012.

Science Friday Projects Policy

At Science Friday, we encourage you to explore, discover, and participate! That is why we provide you with all sorts of experiments, puzzles, challenges, recipes, and other projects (collectively, the “Projects”). Of course, when you participate in any of these Projects, we want you to be safe and understand what you’re getting into, which is why we’ve established this Projects Consent and Release (the “Release”). Read it carefully, because by participating in any Project, you’re agreeing to the terms and conditions of this Release.

By participating in a Project, you agree to the following:

  • You are 18 years of age or older and free to agree to the terms and conditions of this Release, or you are the parent or guardian of someone under the age of 18 who is participating in the Project, and you are agreeing to this Release on his or her behalf.
  • When you participate in a Project, you agree that your participation does not make you an employee, agent, or independent contractor of Science Friday, and you won’t be compensated for your participation in the Project.
  • While participating in a Project, you agree to abide by all the laws, rules, regulations, and procedures of Science Friday and any applicable state and federal laws.
  • You understand and agree that Science Friday is not providing you with, nor will Science Friday compensate or reimburse your for, any supplies, materials or goods that you desire or need to participate in the Project.
  • You release Science Friday and Science Friday’s officers, directors, agents, and employees from any and all liabilities, claims, damages, costs, and/or responsibilities associated with your participation in any Project. You acknowledge that participation in any Project may entail certain risks of physical harm, including without limitation those resulting in loss of money, loss of privacy, personal injury, or property damage, including without limitation injury or damage caused by your or any third party’s intentional acts, negligence (gross or otherwise), or willful or wanton conduct. You agree that Science Friday shall have no responsibility or liability whatsoever for any of your acts, omissions, or failure to act while participating in any Project, including without limitation negligence (gross or otherwise), intentional acts, or willful or wanton conduct. You further agree to indemnify, release, and hold harmless Science Friday and its officers, directors, agents, volunteers, and employees from any and all liabilities, claims, damages, costs (including without limitation attorneys’ fees), or losses arising from your wrongful or negligent acts, omissions, or failure to act, in the course of your participation in any Project.

If you participate in a Project, we want to hear about it! So, while doing so is entirely at your discretion, we encourage you to contribute content (pictures, videos, stories, and anything else you feel like sharing) (“Content”) to ScienceFriday.com, Facebook, Twitter, and other forums. Anything you contribute will be subject to the Commenting Guidelines above, and also, by contributing your Content, you agree that:

  • You retain ownership of the copyright for any Content.
  • You grant Science Friday and Science Friday’s affiliates, and successors, licensees, and assigns, and those acting with such entities’ authority, the unrestricted, absolute, perpetual, irrevocable, and worldwide right to (1) reproduce, copy, modify, create derivatives in whole or in part, or otherwise use the Content, and any part thereof in combination with, or as a composite of other matter, including, but not limited to, text, data, images, photographs, illustrations, animation and graphics, video or audio segments of any nature, in any media or embodiment, now known or hereafter to become known, including without limitation all formats of computer readable electronic magnetic, digital laser or optical-based media (the “Works”) for any purpose whatsoever; (2) use and permit to be used your name, image, or quotes whether in original or modified form, in connection with the Works; and (3) display, perform, exhibit, distribute, transmit or broadcast the Works by any means now known or hereafter to become known.
  • You agree that any use of the Content or the Works (as described above) is at the sole and complete discretion of Science Friday, and the failure of Science Friday to exercise or enforce any right conferred upon it by this Release will not be deemed to be a waiver of any such right or operate to bar the exercise or enforcement thereof at any time thereafter.
  • You further waive any and all rights in and claims to compensation or sale proceeds that you have or may have for the Content and Works.

This Release may change from time to time. Changes to this Release will become effective when those changes are posted. Your continued use of Science Friday.com, Science Friday’s mobile sites and applications, and any other Science Friday sites, applications and services subsequent to any changes to this Release constitutes your acceptance of the changes. Please review this Release regularly to ensure continued familiarity with its most current provisions. And lastly, have fun!