The Editorial Staff of the Massachusetts Daily Collegian has established a new policy to provide individuals the opportunity to request the removal of their names from stories reporting on minor crimes.

The Daily Collegian has always reported the publicly available names of those charged with minor crimes in relevant reporting. To continue reporting accurate, timely news, and to provide our community with truthful information, the Daily Collegian will continue to do so when appropriate.

The Daily Collegian understands, however, that this reporting has the potential to impact the individuals named to differing degrees. We want to acknowledge that the way that we’ve always reported these stories does not mean it’s the best, most equitable way. Our journalism is meant to inform the public — not to negatively impact the futures and lives of those whose stories we tell.

The Daily Collegian recognizes that this type of coverage, particularly on those charged with minor crimes, disproportionately impacts communities and individuals of color in a lasting way. Upon thought, discussion and research, we acknowledge that our policies need to change.

For this reason, from this point forward, any individual who has had their name published in the Massachusetts Daily Collegian in the reporting of a minor crime charge can submit a form to request the removal of their name. This applies to any story published on the Daily Collegian website.

This does not apply to those charged with significant crimes in which disclosure of such names is in the public’s best interest.

The form is located under the resources tab of the Daily Collegian’s home page.

The Daily Collegian News Staff can be reached at [email protected].