► News organizations do not have unified standards related to “unpublishing” outdated or embarrassing information in news stories, according to researcher Deborah L. Dwyer. Some argue that removing stories is to improperly rewrite history, while others say a “right to be forgotten” is ethical in some situations. News organizations with policies include:
►The Gainesville (Florida) Sun, which received an SPJ ethics award in 2015 to for its policy on reporting crime. The policy included removing most mugshots after 90 days and, when requested, tagging stories to not appear on major search engines but still be available on its site. Then-editor Doug Ray noted that “young indiscretions shouldn’t ruin a person’s life.”
►The Boston Globe created a “Fresh Start” initiative that allows people to ask that the news organization update information about crime-related stories. The organization said its standards for revising a story or removing a story are high, but “we think the value of giving someone a fresh start often outweighs the historic value of keeping a story widely accessible long after an incident occurred. People’s lives aren’t static, they’re dynamic.” As The Albany (Georgia) Herald reported, other news organizations are taking similar approaches about content published online.
Sources:
- https://unpublishingthenewscom.wordpress.com/
- https://www.businessinsider.com/newspapers-offering-right-to-be-forgotten-practice-widely-adopted-consistent-2021-1
- https://www.spj.org/news.asp?ref=1358
- https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/01/22/metro/globes-fresh-start-initiative-frequently-asked-questions/
- https://www.albanyherald.com/news/many-newspapers-now-allow-petitions-to-remove-change-articles/article_7e4a6a62-63f6-11eb-93e9-5f0c99c04c01.html
►The Chicago SPJ chapter’s Ethics AdviceLine asks whether there is a difference between online publication and other types of publication.
Source: https://ethicsadvicelineforjournalists.org/2015/06/24/removing-negative-news/
►Of special concern is the permanence of publication in student media about students. Wisconsin’s Center for Journalism Ethics in 2022 noted that the news industry’s inconsistent guidance on the topic has confused some student journalists.
►The New York Times wrote about the dangers of social media posts leading to “public shaming,” once journalists become aware of them, “even for non-public figures.” The resulting exposure can sometimes be unethically exaggerated.
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/15/magazine/how-one-stupid-tweet-ruined-justine-saccos-life.html