How to Remove a News Article From Google

To remove a news article from Google, you usually need the publisher to change it first. Ask the editor to correct it, update it with the outcome, remove your name, add a noindex tag or unpublish it, then use Google’s Refresh Outdated Content tool so the search result catches up. Google itself rarely removes an accurate news story just because you asked.

That makes the publisher the real decision-maker. The good news is that many newsrooms now have a process for exactly this kind of request, especially for old stories about minor matters or cases that ended in the subject’s favor. If the story is new and still developing, our guide on handling negative press covers the first days of coverage.

Why Google usually won’t remove the article directly

Google indexes what is on the web. It doesn’t judge whether a news story is fair, and its removal policies are built for specific categories such as personal contact details, non-consensual intimate images and content a court has ruled unlawful. A factual report about an arrest, a lawsuit or a business dispute doesn’t fall into those categories.

So the order of operations matters. Change the source page first, then ask Google to update its copy. Trying it the other way round wastes time.

Step 1: Work out what you are actually asking for

“Take it down” is the request editors hear most and grant least. A narrower request has a much better chance. Before you write to anyone, decide which of these fits your situation:

Request	When it fits	How editors tend to see it
Correction	The article contains a factual error: wrong name, wrong charge, wrong outcome, wrong business	Most reputable outlets correct verifiable errors. This is the easiest request to win if you have documents.
Update with the outcome	The story reported an arrest, charge or lawsuit, and the case later ended: charges dismissed, acquittal, case settled or withdrawn	Widely accepted. An editor’s note stating the outcome is fair to readers and costs the paper nothing.
Anonymization	You were a minor figure in the story, or the matter was minor and old	Increasingly common for old crime coverage, though policies vary a lot between outlets.
Noindex	The story stays on the site, but the publisher tells search engines not to list it	A middle ground some editors accept because the archive stays intact.
Unpublishing	The story is seriously wrong, or it is old, minor and causing harm out of proportion to its news value	The hardest request. Many papers treat their archive as a historical record and refuse by default.

An update or anonymization often solves most of the problem. If your name is removed from the article, it generally stops ranking for searches of your name once Google recrawls the page.

Step 2: Find the right person at the publisher

Reporters rarely have the authority to change a published story, and the general inbox is slow. Look for these, usually on the outlet’s “Contact us,” “Corrections” or “Ethics” page:

• The corrections or standards desk. Larger outlets have a dedicated email for corrections. This is the right place for factual errors.
• The standards editor or ombudsman. Some papers have one person who handles requests about old coverage.
• The managing editor or editor in chief. At smaller local papers, this is often the only person who can approve a change.
• A dedicated request form. Some newsrooms publish a form specifically for requests about archived stories.

Check whether the outlet has a published policy on old stories before you write. Several newsrooms have them. Cleveland.com announced a “right to be forgotten” approach in 2018 that removes names from some older stories about nonviolent crimes, and The Boston Globe launched its “Fresh Start” initiative in 2021, which lets people ask for older stories to be updated, anonymized or removed from search. Each outlet sets its own criteria, so read the policy and frame your request around it.

If the article was syndicated or picked up by other sites, list every URL. Each one is a separate request, and a correction at the original outlet doesn’t automatically flow to copies.

Step 3: Gather your documents

Editors act on evidence, not on how much a story hurts. Collect what supports your request:

• Court records showing a dismissal, acquittal, expungement or sealed record (check with your lawyer what you can share from a sealed case).
• Documents that prove a specific factual error, such as a business registration showing a different owner.
• Dates: when the story ran, when the case ended, and how long ago that was.
• A short, honest note on the harm, for example the article appearing first when employers search your name.

Step 4: Write a short, factual request

Keep it brief and calm, and ask for one specific change, with a fallback. Here is an illustrative email you can adapt:

Subject: Request to update a 2019 article about [your name]

Dear [Editor’s name],

I am writing about your article “[headline],” published on [date] at [URL]. The article reported that I was charged with [offense]. On [date], those charges were dismissed; a copy of the court’s dismissal is attached.

The article is still the first result when my name is searched, and it doesn’t mention the outcome. I would be grateful if you would consider updating it with an editor’s note stating that the charges were dismissed. If your policy allows, I would also ask you to consider removing my name or adding a noindex tag, given how long ago this was and that the case did not proceed.

Thank you for your time. I am happy to provide any further documents.

[Your name, phone number]

Note what the email doesn’t do. It doesn’t threaten, doesn’t attack the reporter, and doesn’t demand. Editors get hostile requests every week, and a polite, documented one stands out.

If you hear nothing after two or three weeks, send one short follow-up. If the answer is no, ask whether an update with the outcome would be possible instead. A partial win is still a win.

Step 5: Update Google once the page changes

When the publisher changes the article, Google’s search result can still show the old headline or snippet for a while, until Google recrawls the page. You don’t have to wait. Google’s Refresh Outdated Content tool lets anyone request an update once the source has changed:

1. Open the Refresh Outdated Content tool (search for “Google refresh outdated content” to find it) and sign in with a Google account.
2. Paste the URL of the article exactly as it appears in Google’s results.
3. If the page was deleted, Google checks that it is gone and removes the result. If the page was edited, you’ll be asked to enter a word or phrase that no longer appears on the page, such as your name.
4. Track the request’s status in the tool. Most requests resolve within days to a few weeks.

The tool only works when the live page has actually changed. If the publisher hasn’t acted, the request will be rejected.

Legal routes

If an article contains false statements of fact that damage your reputation, you may have a defamation claim. Whether you do depends on the facts, the state, whether you are a public figure and how long ago it was published, since defamation claims have short time limits in many states. This is a question for a lawyer, not a guide.

If a court rules the content defamatory or otherwise unlawful, Google and many publishers will act on a valid court order. You can submit it to Google through its legal removal request process. Litigation is slow, expensive and uncertain, and a lawsuit can attract fresh coverage, so treat it as a considered decision rather than a first move.

Expungement or record sealing doesn’t force a newspaper to change its story, but it is often the document that persuades an editor to do so. If your case is eligible, talk to a lawyer about it.

If you live in the EU

EU residents can ask Google to delist search results about them under the GDPR’s right to erasure, often called the right to be forgotten. Google weighs each request against the public interest. Old, inaccurate or no longer relevant results about private individuals have the best chance, and delisting generally applies to searches of your name rather than removing the article itself.

This right comes from EU law and applies to EU residents. It is not a route for people in the US.

What usually won’t work

• Asking Google to remove accurate reporting. A truthful story on a matter of public interest, such as an elected official’s conduct or a company’s legal dispute, will almost always stay.
• Demanding removal because the story is embarrassing. Editors hear this often. Harm matters, but it works best alongside a change in facts, like a dismissed charge.
• Filing a copyright (DMCA) claim. You don’t own the copyright in an article someone else wrote about you. False DMCA notices can create legal liability, and notices are often published in the Lumen database, which can draw attention back to the story.
• Paying a “removal” service that promises results. No one can promise that a publisher or Google will remove a story. Services that do are either overselling or using methods that can backfire.

A worked example

This is an illustrative scenario, not a real case. A restaurant owner was arrested in 2020 after a dispute with a supplier, and a local news site ran a short story with her name and the charge. Six months later, the charge was dismissed. The story still ranks first for her name.

She finds the site’s corrections email and sends a request like the one above, with the dismissal order attached, asking for an update and, if possible, anonymization. The managing editor agrees to add an editor’s note about the dismissal but declines to remove her name. A month later she writes again, noting that the story is now several years old and concerns a charge that never proceeded. This time the paper removes her name from the story.

She then submits the URL to Google’s Refresh Outdated Content tool, entering her surname as the word that no longer appears. Within a couple of weeks, the article stops showing for searches of her name. A copy on an aggregator site is still there, so she repeats the process with that site’s owner.

Not every outlet will say yes, and many will stop at the update. But the pattern holds: a specific request, documents, patience, then Google.

When the article stays up

Some stories will stay, because they are accurate and the publisher won’t change them. At that point the goal shifts from removal to visibility. Search result suppression builds accurate, well-ranked pages about you, such as professional profiles, a personal site and genuine coverage of your current work, so the old story moves down the results where fewer people see it.

If an arrest story also came with a booking photo, our guide on how to remove a mugshot from the internet covers the separate routes for mugshot sites. If the problem is your address or phone number appearing in search results, see our guide to removing personal information from Google. And if you’d rather have someone handle the publisher outreach and follow-up, our content removal service does that, and tells you upfront which requests are likely to succeed.

Frequently asked questions

Can Google remove a news article about me?

Rarely on its own. Google generally won’t delist accurate news just because it is negative. It will act on a valid court order, on certain personal information such as home addresses or ID numbers, and on EU right to be forgotten requests from EU residents. For most US stories, the route is to get the publisher to change the page, then update Google.

How long does it take to get a news article removed?

It depends mostly on the publisher. Some editors reply within days, others take months or never reply. Once the page is changed, Google’s Refresh Outdated Content tool usually updates the result within days to a few weeks.

Will a newspaper remove a story if my charges were dropped?

Many will at least add an update stating the outcome, and some will remove your name, especially for minor, older cases. Full removal is less common. A copy of the dismissal or expungement order makes your request much stronger.

Can I sue to get an article taken down?

Only if the article is legally actionable, for example defamatory, and that is a question to take to a lawyer. Defamation claims have strict time limits, and true reporting generally isn’t defamatory. Litigation is costly and can bring the story fresh attention.

What if the article is on several websites?

Each copy is a separate request. Start with the original publisher, since other sites sometimes follow its lead, then contact each site that republished it. Use the Refresh Outdated Content tool for every URL that changes.