Forum Communications Co. is in the business of publishing news and information, and we approach this work with integrity and with a commitment to accuracy. It is our position that published content is part of the historical record that serves an important community service and that it should not be “unpublished” or expunged from digital archives without good reason. However, we are willing to consider that there are compelling circumstances for modifying or removing online content.
When receiving a request to remove content we will consider and seek to balance the following factors:
- Reporting the truth/ accuracy of information
- Historical record
- Public record
- Minimizing harm to individuals and to groups of individuals
If you have a request for content to be removed from a website or digital platform owned and/or operated by a Forum Communications Company news organization, please fill out the request below for information. You will receive an acknowledgement of receipt email and your request will be considered in accordance with our publishing standards and in a reasonable timeframe. If we determine that the request should be approved, we reserve the right to charge a content removal/ modification fee, based on the time and work involved in accommodating the request.
If you wish to report an error or seek a correction, use the form at the bottom of this page to submit your request.
The following are the most common categories in which unpublishing requests are made, along with our general philosophy on how we approach such requests.
News content
There are cases where we will consider either removing or modifying - with a story update, correction, or editor’s note - an article to reflect a change in circumstances. Most commonly this would be considered when a court case has been dismissed or expunged from a criminal record, or in the case of acquittal or inaccurate information. We also will consider if the content puts someone, or some group, in peril. We will not remove such content without valid cause or because of remorse for a crime committed. In some cases, proper and complete documentation is required for removal or modification.
Paid content
This can include things as varied as obituaries, weddings announcements, engagement announcements, and other “milestone” notices, city briefs, legal notices and native (advertising) content. In most cases we recognize that the client who has paid for such content should be allowed to determine whether they want to continue to allow their content to be published on our sites. These requests should only be granted to the individual who originally paid to place the content.
Social media
We want our social media channels to be a space where members of our community can engage in respectful dialogue and commentary related to news and information. We support the diversity of opinion, presuming that opinion is expressed in a civilized manner. We reserve the right to hide or remove comments we believe go against these community guidelines and may block users who consistently abuse these rules. In an effort to maintain a safe space for all, we will not tolerate:
- Profanity, vulgarity, racial slurs or personal attacks
- Harassment of others or inappropriate commentary regarding tragedies
- Threats of violence
- Disturbing or R-rated images
- Spam, including irrelevant links or photos not pertaining to our content