{"id":76578,"date":"2023-03-22T18:00:24","date_gmt":"2023-03-22T22:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crazyeggblog.wpengine.com\/?p=76578"},"modified":"2026-02-14T05:00:31","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T13:00:31","slug":"how-to-remove-news-articles-from-the-internet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crazyegg.com\/blog\/how-to-remove-news-articles-from-the-internet\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Easy Steps to Remove News Articles From The Internet"},"content":{"rendered":"

Removing a news article from the internet can be as easy as asking, but it usually isn’t.<\/strong><\/p>

If your case is the latter, doing it on your own can take a lot<\/em> of time\u2014often months, sometimes even a year\u2014because you\u2019re working through publisher policies, review queues, and legal considerations. Want it done faster?<\/p>

Hiring a specialist like BetterReputation<\/a>, Erase.com<\/a>, NetReputation<\/a>, or Reputation Defense Network<\/a> is your best bet.<\/p>

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 how to get started removing news articles on your own the right way.<\/p>

#1 \u2014 Document the News Articles You Want to Remove<\/h2>

If there’s only one, this step is easy. You can probably move on to step two right away.<\/p>

However, it’s worth taking a second look\u2014many news sites syndicate others’ content. Just because it doesn’t show up right away doesn’t mean it’s not there.<\/p>

For things to be squeaky clean, you want to identify as many<\/em> URLs and copies of the story as you reasonably can across the web.<\/p>

Start with a Google search in incognito mode.<\/strong> 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. Use basic operators like site:<\/code> and putting the headline in quotes to catch duplicates.<\/p>

Incognito helps reduce personalization from your signed-in account and local browsing history, but results can still vary based on things like location, language, and device.<\/em><\/p>

Next, perform Google searches<\/strong> for your name, your business, your job title, your location, your industry, and any other identifiable information that can be combined with your name. Consider checking Google News and image results as well.<\/p>

In doing this, you’ll be able to see what others may see when they look for you online, across a range of common searches.<\/p>

\"Search<\/figure>

Lastly, check social media channels.<\/strong> News articles often ask their readers to \u201cspread the word\u201d on different platforms.<\/p>

This can surface posts, mirrors, screenshots, and commentary that may not rank well in Google but still show up when someone searches your name on-platform.<\/p>

Exhausting all of these avenues should give you a strong working list of what people may find. Document every URL you uncover, along with where it’s ranking (if applicable), the search terms you used to find it, and the date you discovered it.<\/p>

Staying organized makes it easy to prioritize your removal efforts going forward and track progress over time.<\/p>

#2 \u2014 Reach Out to Every News Outlet and Request Removal<\/h2>

Go through your list and get in touch with someone at each news outlet.<\/p>

Some of them may have a formal content removal form and unpublishing process you can start with. If so, familiarize yourself with their process and initiate it.<\/p>

If not, look for the email address or phone number of a managing editor or similar role.<\/p>

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.<\/p>

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.<\/p>

Regardless of how you get in touch, you can request specific changes (like corrections, updates, anonymization, or de-indexing) 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<\/strong>.<\/p>

This can lead to even more negative press on top of potentially ruining your chances of establishing contact in a professional manner.<\/p>

You can also speak to a lawyer or Reputation Defense Network<\/a> before you start to understand what options you actually have under your local laws (and what the publication may or may not be willing to do). News outlets and their attorneys often lean on defenses and privileges like:<\/p>