Removing a news article from the internet can be as easy as asking, but it usually isn’t.
If your case is the latter, doing it on your own can take a lot of time–we’re talking months to even a year. Want it done faster?
Hiring a specialist like BetterReputation or Reputation Defense Network is your best bet.
If you’re anything like us, you probably don’t have an extra few months lying around. But just in case you do, here’s to get started removing news articles on your own.
#1 — Document the News Articles You Want to Remove
If there’s only one, this step is easy. You can probably move on to step two right away.
However, it’s worth taking a second look–many news sites syndicate others’ content. Just because it doesn’t show up right away doesn’t mean it’s not there.
For things to be squeaky clean, you need to identify every URL.
Start with a Google search in incognito mode. Look up the headline (or title) of the news article you’ve already found. This will bring up the article you want to remove, along with other websites that may have republished the same or similar content.
It’s important to be incognito to prevent Google from modifying search results based on your history.
Next, perform Google searches for your name, your business, your job title, your location, your industry, and any other identifiable information that can be combined with your name.
In doing this, you’ll be able to see what others see when they look for you online, no matter what they search for.
Lastly, check social media channels. News articles often ask their readers to “spread the word” on different platforms.
This can give you new websites that may not be ranking in Google but have covered the same news.
Exhausting all of these avenues should show you a comprehensive list of what people may find. Be sure to document every URL, along with where it’s ranking and the search terms you used to find it.
Staying organized makes it easy to prioritize your removal efforts going forward.
#2 — Reach Out to Every News Outlet and Request Removal
Go through your list and get in touch with someone at each news outlet.
Some of them may have a formal content removal form and unpublishing process you can start with. If so, familiarize yourself with their processes and initiate it.
If not, look for the email address or phone number of a managing editor or similar role.
There are numerous email scouting tools out there to help you out if you can’t find contact information yourself. Alternatively, you can subscribe to LinkedIn Premium to get a leg up in your outreach efforts.
You can also create a fill-in-the-blank template or script to make it easier on yourself if you have a lot of publications to talk to.
Regardless of how you get in touch, you can request specific changes or removal of the entire piece. The news outlet may ask for documentation or follow up with you before making any updates. No matter what, avoid demands or threats.
This can lead to even more negative press on top of potentially ruining your chances of establishing contact in a professional manner.
You can also speak to a lawyer or Reputation Defense Network before you start to understand whether you can request removal on legal grounds. The following defenses may be applicable in your case:
- Wire service defense
- Statute of limitations
- Newsworthiness defense
- Substantial truth doctrine
- Fair report privilege
- Incremental hard doctrine
- Opinion and fair comment privilege
An attorney or cease and desist letter can also help put some pressure on news outlets if they’re hesitant.
#3 — Ask Google to Remove the News Article from Search Results
While you wait to hear back, you can start taking action directly within Google. Since a lot of people find news via a search engine, taking the time to do this can make a big impact while you wait for the permanent removal you initiated in step two.
There are three ways to request removals, depending on what grounds you have.
If the news article violates Googles personal content policies, you can request it’s removal right away. For legal violations, like IP infringement or a court order, you can report the content, instead.
The last option is directly within search results. When you come across an article you want to remove, click the three dots to the right of the result.
You’ll have the option to remove it and explain why. Check out our complete search results removal guide or personal information removal guide for a more in-depth walkthrough of the process if you need help.
The process is similar with just about any search engine, so you don’t have to stop at Google.
#4 — Optimize Your Existing Content
If none of your efforts so far have paid off, the next best thing is ensuring content you have control over ranks higher than the news articles.
Ideally, they get pushed to page two or further (where nobody really goes).
Doing this can take a lot of time and effort. Before worrying about creating new content, you can start with updating and optimizing content you’ve already published.
This could mean optimizing your home page, a blog post, a social media profile, a LinkedIn article, or anything else that has the potential to outrank the news article(s) you want to remove. Focus on adding value, highlighting positive attributes about yourself or your company, and polishing everything with a general refresh.
This may result in a boost in search rankings–but it doesn’t always work. Either way, it’s good to put your best foot forward and keep your content updated, anyway.
#5 — Deploy an Authentic Positive Press Campaign
Similar to updating your existing content, you can publish new content that highlights positive aspects of yourself or your business (check out our blog post templates if you need inspiration). There are a lot of strategies for this, many of which can get quite complicated.
Your main focus should be to add value to your community and shine light on the good things.
The key to all of this is that it has to be authentic. Taking some public action or doing a grand gesture just for the sake of drowning negative content may make things worse.
Focusing on true-to-you long-term initiatives and activities you’re already involved with are best.
If you get to this point and aren’t sure how to do this the right way, get in touch with BetterReputation or Reputation Defense Network. They know all the strategies to get results.
The risk of potentially doing more harm than good is pretty high at this point. However, a successful campaign can work wonders for your short and long-term reputation.
So, it’s not something to ignore just because it takes time or can’t be done on your own.
