Privacy Policy

Last updated August 20, 2026.

The Ashland Free Press is a small newspaper, not a data business. This page says what we collect about you, which is not much, and what we do with it, which is less. It is written in English rather than legalese because we expect to be held to it.

What we collect

Reading. When you read the paper, our web server and its content delivery network (Cloudflare) record the ordinary technical residue of a web request: your IP address, browser type, the pages you asked for, and when. These logs exist to keep the site running and to keep abuse off it. We do not use them to identify readers, and we would not know how to monetize them if we wanted to, which we do not.

Analytics. We use Google Analytics to learn things like how many people read a piece and whether anyone makes it to the end. Google sets cookies to do this and processes the data under its own privacy policy. We see aggregate numbers, not your name. If you block analytics with a browser extension or setting, the paper works exactly the same and we cheer you on.

Writing to us. If you use the contact or submission forms or email [email protected], we keep what you send — that is the point of sending it. Submissions are kept so we can publish, edit, or decline them; corrections and tips are kept as part of the reporting record. We do not add you to any list. We do not have a newsletter. If we ever start one, it will be opt-in and this page will change first.

What we do not do

We do not sell, rent, trade, or share personal information with anyone, except when the law genuinely compels it — and see the next section for how we think about that. We do not run advertising networks, tracking pixels for third parties, or social media buttons that phone home. We do not buy data about you to "enrich" anything.

Sources

This is the part of the policy we consider load-bearing, and it repeats what our About page says: a person who talks to this paper on condition of anonymity stays anonymous — in print, in our files, and under pressure. We do not name sources to officials, to lawyers, or to anyone else, and we would sooner retire a story than surrender the person who brought it. If you have something the public should know, say what protection you need before you say anything else, and consider using means of contact you trust. The technical residue described above applies to this website like any other; truly sensitive material should not travel through a contact form.

Cookies

Google Analytics sets cookies, described above. The site itself sets none that track you. Our content delivery network may set cookies strictly for security and load balancing.

Children

The paper is written for general audiences and collects no information from anyone, children included, beyond what is described above.

Changes

If this policy changes, the change appears here with a new date at the top, and material changes get noted the way we note corrections — plainly. Questions to [email protected].