US newspapers are deleting old crime stories, offering subjects a ‘clean slate’

A wave of local publications are considering requests to wipe or edit old articles to give their subjects a fresh start

Civil rights advocates across the US have long fought to free people from their criminal records, with campaigns to expunge old cases and keep people's past arrests private when they apply for jobs and housing.

The efforts are critical, as more than 70 million Americans have prior convictions or arrests - roughly one in three adults. But the policies haven't addressed one of the most damaging ways past run-ins with police can derail people's lives: old media coverage.