About
The Archive Ethics Project looks at how U.S. newsrooms, student papers included, handle the old stories in their archives: when they correct or update them, whether they'll take a name out or keep a story out of search results, and who decides.
Our starting point is that keeping an accurate archive and deciding how easily search engines surface it are two separate decisions, even though they're usually treated as one. That's an idea to test, not a conclusion. It doesn't follow that every old story should be de-indexed, and we don't argue that it does.
We don't remove stories for anyone, we won't lean on student journalists, and a newsroom that says no to de-indexing isn't marked down for it.
Mission statement
To advance ethical, transparent, and consistent standards for preserving and managing historical news coverage through independent research, institutional engagement, and practical editorial guidance.
Vision
A journalism environment in which historical reporting remains trustworthy, consequential later developments are responsibly contextualized, and people can understand how requests involving older coverage are reviewed, even where the answer is no.
Non-negotiable commitments
- Historical integrity is a legitimate public interest.
- Editorial independence belongs to the authorized editors, including student editors.
- Preservation, correction, contextual updating, anonymization, de-indexing, and removal are distinct remedies.
- The same evidence rules apply to institutions that agree and disagree with AEP recommendations.
- An unpublished policy is not proof of no policy. Nonresponse is not opposition.
- Policy adoption dates cannot be inferred solely from the first date a document was discovered online.
- Founding motivation and material conflicts must be disclosed.
- The project must be able to publish findings that contradict its starting assumptions.
Cite this document
The Archive Ethics Project. (2026). About (Version 1.0; proposed). https://archiveethics.org/about Include the date you accessed it; this page may be revised, and earlier versions are preserved.