Journalism norms

Retraction

withdraw the story

Definition

Retraction is the outlet taking the story down or publishing that it should not have run. That is rare and serious: fabrication, catastrophic error, legal kill. Most “we want this retracted” emails should have been correction requests.

If you have a true legal claim, lawyers handle it. Comms still needs a public true version on the newsroom.

How it works

Document the error. Ask first for a correction if the story is mostly right. If the story is false at the spine, make the case with evidence, not adjectives. After a retraction, keep the canonical facts live so retrieval does not fill the hole with a mirror of the dead URL.

Worked example

A blog accuses a company of a criminal fine that belongs to a similarly named LLC. Evidence: two dockets. The blog retracts. You publish a short newsroom note with the dockets. That is proportionate. Demanding CNN retract a mixed investigative piece because one paragraph stings is not.

How it differs

A correction fixes a part. Right of reply answers. A retraction unwinds the piece. Crisis comms is the wider program.

Common errors

Retraction theater on social. Paying for quiet deletions. Celebrating a retraction as a “win” when the underlying conduct was real.

Sources