Alternatives for Removing Newspaper Articles from the Internet
Given how important a brand’s reputation is, many would be in a hurry to remove anything from Google that’s damaging the brand’s image. That is why the best time to start managing your brand’s online reputation is now. Taking a passive approach means you leave your reputation in the hands of others, and not everyone has your best interests in mind.
In order to remove negative newspaper articles from the internet to restore your reputation, you can try the following.
Contact the Owner
Even though few newspaper companies will accept a removal request, they might consider it if you can prove that the presented information is false or is in direct violation of your privacy. Go to the website’s FAQ and Contact sections and see if there already exist removal policies.
Many publishers will not even respond, will likely refuse to remove any content or in some cases, even look to charge a fee for removal.
Contact Google
This is similar to contacting the owner of the website, only asking Google. Still removing something from their search results isn’t a sure thing. Google has a set of removal policies though, and they’ll consider it under strict situations that directly violate their privacy policy.
Asking Google should be attempted, even if your request is denied, but don’t get your hopes high on a removal via Google.
Hire an Attorney
Getting an attorney who specializes in removing newspaper content from the web can become a costly endeavour, but it helps to have legal aid on your side. If there’s a strong underlying reason why the content should not be online or public, an attorney might be able to successfully take it down in the courtroom or negotiate a deal in your favour.
However the timeframe of a legal battle is always unpredictable. Moreover, there are no guarantees in legal battles — no one can control the judge’s decision in the courtroom and attorneys always operate with a chance of failure.
Suppression
If complete removal is too difficult or impossible, you can remove a negative newspaper article out of sight by suppressing it to latter pages of search results. Users will often look at the first page of search results, and seldom at the first two. Articles on page three and beyond are basically hidden from all but the most curious.
Suppression is more cost-effective than hiring an attorney. Articles can be suppressed in six to twelve months on average, and when the campaign is finished, your business can enjoy its reputation that only requires maintenance from that point on. If you don’t know where to start with suppression, there are online reputation managers that can help you with that.
