News Article Removal: Unpublish, Update or De-Index Old Stories

An old arrest story, lawsuit, or outdated report can dominate search results for your name. Remove Online Information helps you request unpublishing, anonymization, updates, or de-indexing from publishers, then cleans up the copies.

Free review of the article and its copies
Requests built around each outlet’s policy
Search clean-up after a change is made

Get a free removal assessment

Call (855) 581-5827

What to send us

The exact links (URLs) where the content appears
Any search terms that bring it up
What outcome you want

Free, confidential assessment. Do not include passwords, ID numbers, or intimate images in your first message.

The basics

What is news article removal?

News article removal is the process of asking a publisher to unpublish, anonymize, update, or de-index an article, and then cleaning up copies and search results. Outcomes are at the publisher’s discretion, so the request strategy matters.

Outcome	What changes	When it fits
Unpublish	The article is removed from the site.	Old stories about minor matters, dismissed or expunged cases.
Anonymize	Your name or photo is removed from the story.	The story has public value but naming you does not.
Update or correct	A note adds the case outcome or fixes errors.	Charges dropped, acquittal, or factual mistakes.
De-index	A noindex tag keeps the page out of search engines.	The publisher keeps the archive but limits search visibility.

How it works

Our approach to news removal requests

Review the coverageFind the original story plus syndicated and aggregated copies.
Build the caseGather court outcomes, dates, and the harm the story causes today.
Contact the right editorSubmit a clear, respectful request under the outlet’s policy.
Clean up searchAddress copies and outdated results once the source changes.

Publisher guides

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can a news article be removed from the internet?

Sometimes. News publishers decide whether to remove, update, or anonymize an article. Many newsrooms now have policies for reconsidering old stories about minor crimes, especially when charges were dropped or records were expunged. Others will add an update or correction instead of removing the story.

What is unpublishing?

Unpublishing is when a news organization removes an article from its website or takes the person’s name out of it. Several major outlets, including some large newspaper groups, have formal programs to review requests about old crime coverage.

What makes a news removal request more likely to succeed?

Proof that charges were dismissed, dropped, or reduced, an expungement or sealing order, evidence of factual errors, or a story that is old, involves a minor offense, and causes ongoing harm. A respectful, documented request to the right editor matters.

If the article is removed, will it disappear from Google?

Google drops the result after it recrawls the page. Copies on aggregator and syndication sites need separate requests, and you can ask Google to remove outdated results once the source page has changed.

What if the publisher refuses?

Ask for an update noting the outcome of the case, request that your name be removed, or ask the publisher to add a noindex tag so the story stops appearing in search. If none of these work, suppression with accurate content can reduce its visibility.