{
  "meta": {
    "source": "The Archive Ethics Project — National Policy Atlas",
    "source_url": "https://archiveethics.org/atlas",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-12T07:09:54.223Z",
    "snapshot_type": "live",
    "methodology": "https://archiveethics.org/methodology",
    "codebook": "https://archiveethics.org/data/codebook.json",
    "filters": {},
    "notice": "Live snapshot of the Archive Ethics Project Policy Atlas, not a versioned dataset release. Counts describe only listed records, not U.S. newsrooms generally. \"not_established\" means the available evidence does not establish a position; it is not \"no\". PT5 means no public policy was located, not that no policy exists. Withheld classifications are omitted. Fictional example records are marked is_example=true and must be excluded from any analysis. Columns prefixed nsmpa_ and evidence with human_verified=false are automated findings imported from NSMPA (https://github.com/kalebhoffer/nsmpa, CC BY 4.0 (compiled evidence); quoted excerpts remain the work of their publishers); they are leads, not AEP classifications, and must not be counted as such. No data license has been selected yet for AEP classifications; cite with the retrieval timestamp."
  },
  "record": {
    "institution_id": "aep-001762",
    "publication": "Center for Media Engagement",
    "profile_url": "https://archiveethics.org/atlas/center-for-media-engagement",
    "is_example": false,
    "parent_institution": null,
    "separate_from_parent": "unknown",
    "publication_type": "journalism_organization",
    "location": {
      "state": null,
      "city": null
    },
    "active_status": "unverified",
    "outreach_status": "not_contacted",
    "classification": {
      "withheld": "no_classification"
    },
    "policy_versions": [
      {
        "policy": "Policy page",
        "version_label": null,
        "is_current": true,
        "source_url": "https://mediaengagement.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/116-Unpublishing-the-News-Case-Study.pdf",
        "archive_reference": null,
        "stated_effective_date": null,
        "first_observed_date": "2026-10-08",
        "last_verified_date": null,
        "adoption_evidence": null,
        "known_gaps": "Found automatically. Adoption date and earlier versions unknown.",
        "origin": "nsmpa",
        "human_verified": false
      }
    ],
    "automated_finding": {
      "source": "NSMPA",
      "source_url": "https://github.com/kalebhoffer/nsmpa",
      "license": "CC BY 4.0 (compiled evidence); quoted excerpts remain the work of their publishers",
      "caveat": "Automated finding from NSMPA, not yet checked by a person and not an AEP classification. It is a starting point for review, and it is never counted in Atlas statistics.",
      "entity_id": "22",
      "stance": "UNDETERMINED",
      "confidence": 0,
      "rationale": "Site blocks automated access; archived copies, search snippets and AI search found no confirmed policy text. Targeted searches completed and 9 first-party page(s) inspected (6 policy/about) without qualifying post-publication guidance",
      "positions": {
        "removal": {
          "policy": "unaddressed",
          "practice": "none"
        },
        "deindexing": {
          "policy": "unaddressed",
          "practice": "none"
        },
        "anonymization": {
          "policy": "unaddressed",
          "practice": "none"
        },
        "contextual_update": {
          "policy": "unaddressed",
          "practice": null
        }
      },
      "human_review": "unreviewed",
      "known_policy_list": {
        "tier": "B",
        "focus": "Research on unpublishing ethics",
        "program": "Research on unpublishing ethics",
        "primary_url": "https://mediaengagement.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/116-Unpublishing-the-News-Case-Study.pdf",
        "owner": null,
        "sources_found": true
      }
    },
    "evidence": [
      {
        "evidence_id": 363,
        "tier": 4,
        "type": "automated_lead",
        "origin": "nsmpa",
        "origin_id": "1654",
        "human_verified": false,
        "title": "Center for Media Engagement, University of Texas at Austin page",
        "publisher": "Center for Media Engagement, University of Texas at Austin",
        "url": "https://mediaengagement.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/116-Unpublishing-the-News-Case-Study.pdf",
        "archive_url": null,
        "publication_date": null,
        "retrieved_date": "2026-10-08",
        "excerpt": "Other newsrooms have decided that instead of only helping those who make a request, 3 THE ETHICS OF UNPUBLISHING THE NEWS their reports of minor crime will automatically “sunset” after a certain period of time, which removes them all from search engine results."
      },
      {
        "evidence_id": 364,
        "tier": 4,
        "type": "automated_lead",
        "origin": "nsmpa",
        "origin_id": "1655",
        "human_verified": false,
        "title": "Center for Media Engagement, University of Texas at Austin page",
        "publisher": "Center for Media Engagement, University of Texas at Austin",
        "url": "https://mediaengagement.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/116-Unpublishing-the-News-Case-Study.pdf",
        "archive_url": null,
        "publication_date": null,
        "retrieved_date": "2026-10-08",
        "excerpt": "Some editors, for example, will opt to de-index the content in search engines so they cannot be found on Google but the original content remains on the news site."
      },
      {
        "evidence_id": 365,
        "tier": 4,
        "type": "automated_lead",
        "origin": "nsmpa",
        "origin_id": "1656",
        "human_verified": false,
        "title": "Center for Media Engagement, University of Texas at Austin page",
        "publisher": "Center for Media Engagement, University of Texas at Austin",
        "url": "https://mediaengagement.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/116-Unpublishing-the-News-Case-Study.pdf",
        "archive_url": null,
        "publication_date": null,
        "retrieved_date": "2026-10-08",
        "excerpt": "Weigh the alternatives presented to fully unpublishing news (e.g. removing links to news from web search results, anonymizing information, writing an update)."
      },
      {
        "evidence_id": 366,
        "tier": 4,
        "type": "automated_lead",
        "origin": "nsmpa",
        "origin_id": "1657",
        "human_verified": false,
        "title": "Center for Media Engagement, University of Texas at Austin page",
        "publisher": "Center for Media Engagement, University of Texas at Austin",
        "url": "https://mediaengagement.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/116-Unpublishing-the-News-Case-Study.pdf",
        "archive_url": null,
        "publication_date": null,
        "retrieved_date": "2026-10-08",
        "excerpt": "In cases where circumstances have changed —such as a reduction in criminal charges—news outlets may choose to update the information, add an editor’s note to the page, or write a follow -up."
      },
      {
        "evidence_id": 367,
        "tier": 4,
        "type": "automated_lead",
        "origin": "nsmpa",
        "origin_id": "1658",
        "human_verified": false,
        "title": "Center for Media Engagement, University of Texas at Austin page",
        "publisher": "Center for Media Engagement, University of Texas at Austin",
        "url": "https://mediaengagement.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/116-Unpublishing-the-News-Case-Study.pdf",
        "archive_url": null,
        "publication_date": null,
        "retrieved_date": "2026-10-08",
        "excerpt": "Unpublishing policies are typically writ ten to give editors the leeway to make determinations on a case-by-case basis and may be resolved without full erasure of the information."
      },
      {
        "evidence_id": 368,
        "tier": 4,
        "type": "automated_lead",
        "origin": "nsmpa",
        "origin_id": "1659",
        "human_verified": false,
        "title": "Center for Media Engagement, University of Texas at Austin page",
        "publisher": "Center for Media Engagement, University of Texas at Austin",
        "url": "https://mediaengagement.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/116-Unpublishing-the-News-Case-Study.pdf",
        "archive_url": null,
        "publication_date": null,
        "retrieved_date": "2026-10-08",
        "excerpt": "Removing the [Purtz] story would be dishonest to the factual record…It’s a very slippery slope if I let compassion come into play” (Bronstein, 2011)."
      },
      {
        "evidence_id": 369,
        "tier": 4,
        "type": "automated_lead",
        "origin": "nsmpa",
        "origin_id": "1660",
        "human_verified": false,
        "title": "Center for Media Engagement, University of Texas at Austin page",
        "publisher": "Center for Media Engagement, University of Texas at Austin",
        "url": "https://mediaengagement.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/116-Unpublishing-the-News-Case-Study.pdf",
        "archive_url": null,
        "publication_date": null,
        "retrieved_date": "2026-10-08",
        "excerpt": "The dispute wound up in court, where Chris’ father demanded that The Daily Californian be forced to erase the articles an d that the current editor —in high school at the time the original articles were actually published—pay $7,500 for severe emotional distress, mental suffering, and the costs to defend the Purtz’s family reputation from “alleged defamatory remarks” against h is son."
      },
      {
        "evidence_id": 370,
        "tier": 4,
        "type": "automated_lead",
        "origin": "nsmpa",
        "origin_id": "1661",
        "human_verified": false,
        "title": "Center for Media Engagement, University of Texas at Austin page",
        "publisher": "Center for Media Engagement, University of Texas at Austin",
        "url": "https://mediaengagement.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/116-Unpublishing-the-News-Case-Study.pdf",
        "archive_url": null,
        "publication_date": null,
        "retrieved_date": "2026-10-08",
        "excerpt": "Naming Crime Suspects in the News: “Seek Truth and Report It” vs. “Minimizing Harm."
      },
      {
        "evidence_id": 371,
        "tier": 4,
        "type": "automated_lead",
        "origin": "nsmpa",
        "origin_id": "1662",
        "human_verified": false,
        "title": "Center for Media Engagement, University of Texas at Austin page",
        "publisher": "Center for Media Engagement, University of Texas at Austin",
        "url": "https://mediaengagement.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/116-Unpublishing-the-News-Case-Study.pdf",
        "archive_url": null,
        "publication_date": null,
        "retrieved_date": "2026-10-08",
        "excerpt": "SFGATE. https://www.sfgate.com/opinion/bronstein/article/Free-press-and-compassion-clash- 2477334.php 4 THE ETHICS OF UNPUBLISHING THE NEWS Dwyer, D."
      },
      {
        "evidence_id": 6026,
        "tier": 4,
        "type": "automated_lead",
        "origin": "nsmpa",
        "origin_id": "2750",
        "human_verified": false,
        "title": "Platform Research Ethics for Academic Research - Center for Media Engagement - Center for Media Engagement",
        "publisher": "Center for Media Engagement",
        "url": "https://mediaengagement.org/research/platform-research-ethics/",
        "archive_url": null,
        "publication_date": null,
        "retrieved_date": "2026-10-08",
        "excerpt": "For example, a researcher may rely on public-oriented ethics in the data collection (e.g., fine with scraping large amounts of public data) but use more privacy-oriented ethics in data sharing (e.g., will not share data openly), particularly as anonymization efforts can be imperfect."
      }
    ],
    "revision_history": []
  }
}