Gazette Article Removal Request

In the era of the Internet, a simple mistake, poor decision or minor crime can show up in search results and impact lives for a long time.

The Gazette has been receiving an increasing number of requests from people who say they’re being impacted long after charges were dropped or their court case has been completed. Whether it’s a job search, housing or kids Googling a parent’s name, it’s difficult to fully put the incident behind them.

There are many reasons we write stories about public safety and arrests. While details of many of the stories are gleaned from publicly available records, the passage of time changes how newsworthy the story is.

Using the criteria below, The Gazette will consider requests for removal of non-felony and non-violent criminal offenses. Other cases will be handled on an individual basis.

The Gazette will not consider removal requests from celebrities, local or elected officials. We will not remove articles resulting in the death of another individual. Cases not meeting the thresholds below will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

To be considered, the following information and parameters should be met:

1. The request must be made by the person accused of criminal activity in the story.
2. The case has been adjudicated by the court system. This means that charges have been dismissed or a judgment of some sort has been imposed by the court system.
3. You’ve completed required jail/prison time associated with the charge and/or an expungement of your record has been granted.

The following criteria will be considered for the removal process and may impact the decision of whether to remove a story:

• Severity and nature of the incident that led to charges.
• Whether others were injured in the incident.
• Ongoing threat to public safety.

Additionally, victims of alleged crimes who are named can use the form below to request their identity be removed from a story. These requests are handled on a case-by-case basis.

How to make a removal request

Step 1

Have your court case number, the web address (URL) of the article you are requesting be removed, and copies of judgments, expungements or other relevant court records. It is up to the requester to provide the appropriate documentation.

Step 2

Send documentation along with your first and last name, link to the story, and any details we should consider for removing article to articleremoval@thegazette.com.
Submit request

Please note: This process applies to content on thegazette.com only. We do not have control over content on other Web sites.

The Gazette will review the case along with submitted materials and communicate a response back to you. Once a story is removed from the Web site, it still will take a period of time for the site to be re-indexed by Web search engines. The re-indexing process – which is controlled and completed by Web companies like Google – can take between 2 and 3 weeks to be completed.