Unpublishing? Yes, it is a term.

Today, I came across the Canadian Association of Journalists’ guidelines for unpublishing. Not only is it a good read for newsrooms, but for any online writer and outlet.

There can be any number of reasons why an online news or information source might remove a piece or posting. Maybe someone is being harmed by the information being presented. Maybe the information is outdated or someone quoted in the piece now regrets having done so — known as “source remorse” — a digital imprint of their words lasts forever and is available for anyone to see.

In many cases, unpublishing requests emerge many months, even years, after original publication when individuals named in the news understand that through Google and other search engines, that news about them is easily accessible to the general public.
– The Ethics of Unpublishing, Canadian Association of Journalists

So what is a news outlet to do when someone asks for something to be unpublished? Here’s what the CAJ recommends: (Note, this is just a summary. The full report is available at J-Source)

1. We are in the publishing business and generally should not unpublish
2. Ongoing accuracy is our responsibility
3. Put a clear policy in place
4. Unpublish for the right reasons
5. It’s fair to be human
6. Source remorse is not a right reason to unpublish
7. Unpublish by consensus
8. Explain your unpublishing policy
9. Help sources understand the implications of digital publishing
10. Consider the implications of publishing before publication

My favourites are numbers eight and nine.

News outlets should explain unpublishing rules to their consumers in an open fashion. Not doing so only builds on the public’s distrust of the media. If we unpublish and rewrite history, what else are we fudging? Transparency brings understanding both between a news outlet and its consumers, and among members of a news organization so everyone is working from the same rules. Ad hoc decision-making in this case just doesn’t cut it.

We should make great effort to explain our unpublishing policy and help those who seek to have published material removed understand that this is an issue of integrity and credibility and reflects our sense of responsibility to our audiences, our community and the historical record.
– The Ethics of Unpublishing, Canadian Association of Journalists

Although it doesn’t always happen, journalists should take the time to explain online publishing rules to sources. Sources, especially those who are not used to dealing with the media, may decline to talk to journalists, but from my experience a simple talk about the roles and responsibilities of a journalist in relation to interview material actually puts sources at ease. Again, this is about transparency and avoiding problems in the future.