Practical guides to content removal, privacy, and reputation repair. Not affiliated with Google.
To request removal of a Patch.com article, contact the local editor with the article URL and explain what you want changed and why. If a detail is inaccurate or the story omits a later development, identify the exact passage and ask for a correction or update. Patch decides whether to edit or remove its reporting.
The article URL, headline and publication date.
The exact name, photo or passage you want reviewed.
A brief explanation and relevant documentation, with unnecessary personal details redacted.
The outcome you’re requesting: a correction, an update, removal of a specific detail, or removal of the article.
Use Patch’s local editor guide to find the right contact, or use the corrections channel on Patch’s contact page.
If Patch removes the article or changes the information shown in an outdated search result, use Google’s Refresh Outdated Content tool. If the information remains on Patch, check Google’s personal content removal policies for eligibility. Removing a result from Google leaves the original Patch article accessible.
For a community post or reply you wrote, open the three-dot menu on Patch and look for the edit or delete option. Use the editorial request process for articles written by Patch staff.
Reviewed November 8, 2026 by Peter Anderson.
Correction. If Patch got a name, date, photo caption, or other fact wrong, quote the exact line, provide the correct wording, and attach a source that supports it. If the story uses a photo of the wrong person, identify the image and explain the mismatch.
Update. If the reporting was accurate at publication but a later development changed the picture, ask Patch to add a dated update. For example, if a story reported an arrest and the charge was later dismissed, cite the relevant entry in the court record and ask the editor to add the outcome. Check the headline and caption too if either could leave readers with an incomplete impression.
Remove a detail or the whole article. If your concern is a specific photo, name, or identifying detail, explain why that item should come down. If you want the entire article removed, explain why a correction, update, or narrower edit would leave the problem unresolved. The editor may propose a different remedy.
Subject — Update request for [article headline]
Hello, I’m writing about [article URL], published on [date]. The article says “[short passage].” A later record dated [date] shows [specific outcome]. Would you add an update stating “[proposed wording]”? I’ve included [public link or redacted supporting document] and marked the relevant entry. Please let me know if you need additional information to review this. Thank you, [name].
For a correction, replace the sentence about a later record with the correct fact and its source. For a removal request, identify exactly what you want taken down and why. Share only the records needed to verify your request.
Keep a record. Save the article URL, your request, and the date sent. List any separate Patch URLs that repeat the same detail.
Follow up in the same thread. If you receive no reply, send a short follow-up with the URL and requested change. If you cannot reach the local editor, use Patch’s corrections channel and include your original request.
Check the article first. Reopen the original URL and verify the headline, passage, caption, and image you asked about. Check any separate URLs individually.
Check Google separately. If Patch changed or removed the material but Google still shows the old text or image, use the outdated-content tool linked above. If the article still contains the information, review Google’s eligibility rules for a separate request.
Can a dismissal get a Patch article removed? A dismissal gives you a concrete basis to request an update. Ask Patch to add the disposition and consider any separate request to change the headline, remove a detail, or take down the article.
What if Patch updates the article but the old wording still appears elsewhere? Open each result to see whether it is an outdated snippet or a separate live copy. A separate publisher needs its own request.
What if the problem is a comment someone else posted? Identify the comment and the page where it appears. Send Patch the comment link if available, along with the exact text and the reason you’re asking for review.