Is it ok to use news stories from other websites on my own site?

Question

I'm putting together a website for our city which will have a news section.

Am I allowed to take news stories directly from other websites?

For example if I see a news story on the BBC news website, another local website or website such as Yahoo news am I able to copy the news story directly and place it onto my own website?

Answer 1

If you do not copy the story

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You have to put the story in your own words and NOTHING can be quoted from the idea story

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And even then you may (not always) have to list your sources of information

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On a popular story that is all over the news media you are safe

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It is those one "In A Blue Moon" ones you have to walk on thin ice with

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A lot of time there is only one source of information that those stories came from

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So just make sure you are inventive in thinking a way to describe how

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The alien UFO craft landed on the White House lawn and a robot named Clatu came out and just stood there not moving

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Idea from the Movie Day the Earth Stood Still

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Answer 2

It depends on the rights associated with the content. Some news outlets use a Creative Commons license, whereby you can copy content as long as you source it. I'd recommend scanning the local news outlets and finding one, but they are usually smaller organizations that do this.

For major media outlets, never cut and paste. The AP is trying to sue the Drudge Retort right now for simply pasting blocks of text (50 words or so) with a link.

If you want to do local news, have someone on staff that can write/blog. Have this person research local news and write up little summary blurbs and paste a link to the "full story."

Providing news is not the simplest of tasks, but you can do it inexpensively in this fashion.