Want us to review an old article? How to apply for a Clean Slate

Welcome to The Sacramento Bee’s Clean Slate project.

Events of the last few years have raised important questions about racial justice, equity and fairness. We’re re-examining some of our own practices in the context of today’s digital world.

Even though The Bee’s digital archive is an amazing resource that puts thousands of news stories within easy reach at sacbee.com, this historical record can also become an insurmountable obstacle for those seeking to make a new start.

Stories about minor criminal offenses, convictions that were later expunged or charges that were eventually dropped can haunt people for years and decades, surfacing every time a potential employer or even a potential date Googles their names.

Under this project, we’re offering a chance for a clean slate. This is an opportunity to apply for us to review articles more than a year old — excluding those involving current, ongoing criminal or legal action.

Here are some key questions and answers about this initiative:

How do I apply?

If you’re interested in applying, just fill out the application, which can be found at this link or in the form at the end of this story. The application asks for basic information about your case, including a link to the story or stories you want us to review.

What happens after I apply?

Bee journalists will review your application, do additional research and get back in touch with you. In some cases, a member of The Bee staff may reach out to you for additional information, documents or materials.

What actions might you take?

After our review, possible outcomes could include removing the article from Google searches, amending or updating it, or removing it from sacbee.com entirely. We also may take no action, depending on what we find and based on our editorial discretion. Decisions will be made by a group of Bee journalists, with input from senior journalists and editors in McClatchy, our parent company. Cases involving public figures or serious crimes or offenses are unlikely to meet the threshold for action (though we will still review these applications).

What happens if a story is removed from web search?

Stories that are de-indexed from web searches will remain on sacbee.com and can be accessed through existing links on other sites. We are not removing any stories from our permanent newspaper archive or research sites that access it. In all cases, stories will remain accessible in our permanent digital archive.

What kinds of stories will you review?

We’ll review articles that are more than a year old and do not involve current, ongoing criminal or legal action. Again, we’re not talking about news stories involving active legal or criminal cases, nor are we talking about coverage that people simply disliked or found controversial.

This project is aimed specifically at such stories that live on, through our site and through search engines, and may keep someone from getting a fair shake much later as they try to move on with life.

Why are you doing this?

We know that years-old news stories about such things as minor criminal offenses or early news stories about cases that were later dismissed can follow people around in the digital world forever — sometimes making it difficult to find a new job or to make a new beginning in life.

Other news organizations such as The Boston Globe have launched similar projects to re-examine the ongoing impact of past news coverage. As the Globe notes: “Globe journalism was never meant to be a permanent obstacle to someone’s success, with the worst decisions and moments in regular people’s lives accessible by a few keystrokes for the rest of time.”

How do I get more information?

For more information on this pilot project, go to this link on sacbee.com. For questions, contact Sacramento Bee Executive Editor Colleen McCain Nelson at cnelson@sacbee.com.

The internet has a long memory. We’re offering a chance for a Clean Slate.

This story was originally published May 6, 2022 at 5:00 AM.