Morning News offers chance for subjects of crime coverage to have names removed from online articles

The Dallas Morning News is now offering individuals involved in crime coverage the option, under certain conditions, of having their names removed from articles on DallasNews.com.

This important change in the way The News deals with criminal articles on its website recognizes that such articles – and the negative impact they can have on the lives of the people who have them – are not easily forgotten become like yesterday’s newspaper.

The change in policy will ultimately benefit the community, say top editors.

“Our mission as journalists in our news gathering is to always be fair and balanced,” said Katrice Hardy, editor-in-chief of The News. “Our new policy helps us to meet this obligation.”

To qualify, a person must have the offense legally deleted from their files by means of an exclusionary order. Exceptions may be made for those arrested but never charged or charged, or in some cases when a criminal charge has been dismissed or a person has been acquitted, pardoned or a decision has been adjourned.

A diverse committee of journalists at The News meets once a month to review applications. The committee forwards recommendations to the editor of The News who will make the final decision on removal.

The chairman of the committee is the head of the newsroom operations, Mark Konradi. The committee members are:

  • Al Día editor-in-chief Alfredo Carbajal
  • Director of Visual Journalism Marcia Allert
  • Employee Nataly Keomoungkhoun
  • Education editor Eva-Marie Ayala
  • Deputy City Editor Dave Hiott

Only articles in criminal cases in which a removal order has been issued are taken into account. Additionally, anyone who is a public servant or public figure does not qualify for the The News content removal process.

If the decision is made to remove material, the name of the topic will be removed from the article. Articles related only to this topic will be completely removed from DallasNews.com. A note alerts readers that content has been removed.

Legal assistance may be required to obtain an expulsion order, and free resources may be available for some applicants through Northwest Texas Legal Aid or the UNT-Dallas College of Law Community Lawyering Center. The Dallas County Attorney’s Office also holds an Expunction Expo each year.

This month, an article on The News website was changed in accordance with the new policy.

“It’s an opportunity to help certain people, and that’s what appeals to me most,” said Konradi. “Since the beginning of the digital age, our policy has been rigid and simple: we have not removed any content that was published once. Now we have an opportunity to help the people who meet our criteria. “

Further information on The News process and the application form can be found at dallasnews.com/help/content-removal-review.

The use of mug shots

With its articles, The News has also revised its guidelines for the use of police booking photos or mug shots.

Such images “offer little or no newsworthiness, and their routine publication can do harm, undermine the presumption of innocence or inadvertently perpetuate racial stereotypes,” the newspaper’s guidelines for its staff read.

For this reason, The News generally does not post mug shots in routine reporting that involves people who are not known.

Booking photos can still appear alongside more in-depth articles on criminal cases. They can also be published with articles that involve a public figure in the crime, if the case is well known or if there is a compelling public safety reason to do so, e.g. linked to further criminal offenses.

“We regularly review our policies and practices,” said Keith Campbell, editor-in-chief of The News. “Both this change and our name stripping policy are important steps for us to take as we consider the impact of our work on the communities we serve.”

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