AP to stop naming minor crime suspects, as more newsrooms agree to delete stories from their archives

"The Associated Press told its journalists on Tuesday to no longer name suspects in minor crimes or publish photos of them "in brief stories about minor crimes when there is little chance the organization will cover the case beyond the initial arrest . . . out of concern that such stories can have a long, damaging afterlife on the internet that can make it hard for individuals to move on with their lives," the AP's David Bauder reports. "The AP said it will also not link to local newspaper or broadcast stories about such incidents where the arrested person’s name or mugshot might be used. The AP will also not do stories driven mainly by particularly embarrassing mugshots."

The AP's announcement comes after several news organizations have said they would start removing stories from archives, under limited circumstances.  In 2019 the Cedar Rapids Gazette implemented a case-by-case appeals process for removing old stories, and The Boston Globe announced a similar policy this year.

A 2018 survey found that "some 80 percent of news organizations had some policy about removing stories from archives, up from less than half a decade earlier. But in some cases, the policies aren’t written down, aren’t talked about in public or aren’t even publicized in their own newsrooms," Bauder reports. 

In community newspapers, the "long tail" of online information can be an issue in real time. In 2007 The Anniston Star chose not to name a high-school football player whose ineligibility forced his team to forfeit its perfect season, for fear his mistakes as a juvenile could haunt him for decades.

The survey about removing material from archives was conducted by journalism researcher Deborah Dwyer. Her Unpublishing the News website covers the issue extensively and includes resources for newsrooms, including a recent webinar with the News Leaders Association (see below).