One of our guiding principles at News 5 Cleveland is to be champions of the people of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. We understand that lives change, people change, and in some cases our reports only cover part of the story. Charges are dropped, cases are expunged, but our stories still appear in online search results and can have a lasting impact on someone's ability to move forward with their lives.
News 5 is now welcoming appeals from people who would like the station to update past articles or remove an article entirely from News5Cleveland.com. We believe these actions will give people the promise of moving forward without minor indiscretions of the past following them into the future.
Which types of stories will we consider editing or removing?
Stories that are eligible for editing or removal include, but are not limited to:
- Nonviolent misdemeanor crimes, particularly those from many years ago
- Missing persons cases that are resolved without criminal charges
- Incidents such as Amber Alerts and Silver Alerts which were resolved without criminal charges
- Stories and photos that involve embarrassing, noncriminal behavior
The decision to edit or remove an article lies solely with the News 5 editorial team.
Which types of stories will we NOT consider removing?
News 5 will not consider requests involving serious felonies, particularly those involving violent crimes.
Public figures and those in positions of trust are held to a higher standard of scrutiny and therefore, stories involving these individuals will be evaluated accordingly.
What research goes into our decisions?
News 5 may check court records and other public records to make an informed, compassionate decision.
Those looking to appeal an article should completely fill out the form below.
If you have physical copies of documents, please mail them to the following address:
News 5 Cleveland c/o Moving Forward Initiative
3001 Euclid Ave
Cleveland, Ohio 44115
Questions or feedback? Email newsdesk@wews.com Please include “Moving Forward” in the subject line.
