The Atlas in charts
What newsrooms' published policies say about changing old stories, drawn only from the 152 newsrooms we have data on. The charts describe what the policies say. They don't rate anyone, or say which approach is right.
- 152newsrooms with data
- 0checked by a person
- 0with the newsroom's own statement
- 152automated reading only, not yet checked
How to read these charts
- They show what the automated search by NSMPA (opens in a new tab) read in each newsroom's published policy text, which nobody has checked by hand yet. Each newsroom's record has the sources.
- They count newsrooms. They aren't rates: the Atlas isn't a sample of all U.S. newsrooms, and the broadcasters were picked because they were known to have policies, so they're always shown as their own group.
- Of the 1,799 newsrooms researched, 1,018 have no policy the search could locate and 629 had sites it couldn't read. Neither says anything about their policy, so they aren't charted.
- The automated search re-reads newsroom websites every quarter. These charts use the latest refresh, from Oct 11, 2026.
What the policy text says
The approach each of 152 newsrooms takes in its published policy, from fewest changes allowed to most. Select a bar to see those newsrooms.
Show as a table
| What the policy text says | Newsrooms |
|---|---|
| No changes beyond correcting errors | 19 |
| Updates or follow-ups only | 24 |
| Allows some changes, rules out others | 20 |
| Reviews requests case by case | 27 |
| Allows some changes when circumstances change | 45 |
| Allows some changes | 17 |
Remedy by remedy
Newsrooms treat each kind of change separately. For each one, what the policy text of the same 152 newsrooms says.
- Ruled out
- Depends, or both
- Allowed
- Not addressed
"Not addressed" means the policy text doesn't mention that remedy; it isn't a no. "Depends, or both" covers policies that allow it only in some cases, or say both.
Show as a table
| Remedy | Ruled out | Depends, or both | Allowed | Not addressed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Update with what happened later | 6 | 13 | 53 | 80 |
| Stop it appearing in search engines | 3 | 5 | 22 | 122 |
| Remove or obscure a name | 16 | 4 | 14 | 118 |
| Take the story down | 24 | 30 | 37 | 61 |
By kind of newsroom
The same readings in three groups. Bars share one scale, so a longer bar is more newsrooms, not a bigger share.
- Updates or corrections only
- Allows some changes, rules out others
- Allows some changes or reviews case by case
Show as a table
| Kind of newsroom | Updates or corrections only | Allows some changes, rules out others | Allows some changes or reviews case by case | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Student newspapers | 27 | 9 | 24 | 60 |
| Professional newsrooms | 15 | 10 | 44 | 69 |
| Broadcasters (hand-picked) | 0 | 0 | 17 | 17 |
| Journalism organizations | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 |
Where they are
How many newsrooms with data are in each state (33 states; 15 without a state on record). This shows where the Atlas has data, not where policies are more or less common. Select a state to see its newsrooms.
- None
- 1–6
- 7–12
- 13–18
- 19–24
- 25–30
Show as a table
| State | Newsrooms |
|---|---|
| California | 30 |
| Colorado | 15 |
| Texas | 14 |
| Massachusetts | 6 |
| New York | 6 |
| Arizona | 5 |
| Florida | 5 |
| Illinois | 5 |
| Michigan | 5 |
| Pennsylvania | 5 |
| Connecticut | 4 |
| District of Columbia | 4 |
| Louisiana | 4 |
| North Carolina | 3 |
| Tennessee | 3 |
| Iowa | 2 |
| Missouri | 2 |
| Ohio | 2 |
| Virginia | 2 |
| Washington | 2 |
| Alabama | 1 |
| Arkansas | 1 |
| Georgia | 1 |
| Idaho | 1 |
| Indiana | 1 |
| Maryland | 1 |
| Maine | 1 |
| Minnesota | 1 |
| North Dakota | 1 |
| Oregon | 1 |
| Wisconsin | 1 |
| West Virginia | 1 |
| Wyoming | 1 |
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