How to Get a News Article Taken Down About You (2026 Article and Link Removal Guide)

Start by listing every copy of the story. Then write to the editor with your reason and proof, asking for deletion, an update or your name to be removed. If that fails, go to the press regulator, request delisting from Google and Bing, and take legal advice if the story is untrue or private. United Press can handle the whole process for you.

Yes, but only the publisher can delete the article itself. Search engines can stop it showing for searches on your name, and copies on other sites have to be removed one by one. Most successful cases combine publisher removal, delisting and clean-up of copies.

Yes, in many cases. Your chances are best when the article is inaccurate, old, about a case that was dropped, about a spent conviction, or reveals private details. Ask the editor first with evidence, then use the press regulator, search engine delisting or legal routes if they say no.

It is possible, though not guaranteed through the publisher alone. Editors decide whether to delete their own reporting, but even when they refuse, you can often get your name removed, the article updated, or the page hidden from Google and Bing searches on your name.

Sometimes. Publishers rarely delete accurate, recent reporting, but many will remove or anonymise old stories about private people, correct errors, or add an update when a case is dropped. A calm, evidence-based request to the editor works far better than a threat.

If the article has already been deleted or changed, use Google’s tool for refreshing outdated content. If it is still live, use Google’s personal information removal form (the right to be forgotten in the UK and Europe), giving the URLs, your reasons and proof of identity. Google can refuse where public interest is strong.

Google removes results rather than articles. If the publisher has taken the article down, ask Google to refresh the outdated result. If it is still live, send a personal information removal request with each URL and your reasons. If Google says no, you can complain to the ICO, or ask United Press to handle it for you.

Old articles are often the easiest to remove. The older and less relevant the story, and the more private your role in it, the stronger your case for removal, anonymisation or delisting.

Yes, there is a strong case. Ask the publisher to update the article with the outcome or remove it, and ask Google to delist it, explaining that the charges were dropped or you were cleared. Provide documents that prove the outcome.

Often, yes. Under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, a spent conviction usually does not need to be disclosed for most jobs, which is a strong argument in a delisting request. Google and the Information Commissioner’s Office still weigh the public interest, so serious cases can be refused.

In the UK and Europe, you can ask search engines to remove results about you that are inaccurate, outdated, irrelevant or excessive. It removes the link from searches on your name, not the article from the publisher’s website.

Yes, if the publisher is regulated by IPSO, which covers most UK newspapers and magazines. Raise it with the publisher first, then go to IPSO. It usually accepts complaints made within four months of publication, extended to 12 months for articles that are still online.

Some UK outlets are regulated by Impress, and broadcasters have their own complaints process. For sites with no regulator, contact the site owner or host directly and use search engine delisting and legal routes.

Possibly, if the article is defamatory, breaches your privacy or misuses your personal data. In England and Wales, a defamation claim must usually be brought within one year of publication and the article must cause serious harm. Speak to a media law solicitor before sending legal threats.

A cooperative publisher can act within days. Regulator complaints and Google delisting usually take weeks, and legal routes can take months. Clearing every copy, cache and AI answer adds a little more time.

Usually, over time. AI tools draw on pages that are still online and indexed, so once the article is removed or delisted, AI answers tend to stop repeating it as tools refresh their sources. Check AI answers again a few weeks later.

Each copy has to be dealt with separately. Search for the headline and key phrases, list every copy, and ask each site to remove it. Copies of a removed original are often easier to take down.

Yes, and publishers agree to this more often than full deletion. Removing your name, photo or identifying details keeps the record but stops the story being found when people search for you.

Yes, through the same routes. Businesses cannot use the right to be forgotten, but they can ask for corrections, updates and removal of inaccurate or outdated stories, and named individuals inside the business can still request delisting.

Yes. Bing has its own form for European and UK privacy requests. Submit to Bing as well as Google, because Bing results also feed other search tools and AI assistants.

It is usually better to contact the editor or the readers’ editor. Journalists may have moved on, and editors make removal decisions. Keep the message short, calm and backed by evidence.

Avoid angry messages, public arguments, fake reviews or comments, and legal threats you cannot back up. These can lead to a follow-up story that makes the problem bigger.

Push it down. Publish strong, positive content about yourself or your business, such as coverage in trusted publications, so the first page of results tells the right story. Many people combine this with delisting.

To get a positive news article written about you, find a real story (a launch, growth, data or a lesson worth sharing) and pitch it to journalists who cover your field, or work with a PR agency. United Press secures guaranteed coverage in trusted publications, live within 14 days of approval or a 100% refund, which also helps push older negative articles down.

Yes. United Press removes news articles and links from Google, not only the ones that break the rules, working with publishers, platforms and search engines. If an article or link we take on is not removed, you get a full refund.