The protection of privacy and human rights is becoming a major issue for newspapers and news agencies in providing databases of news articles.

Newspapers are taking steps to protect such rights while publicizing their vast stockpiles of data. Given the social function of the media and the value of databases, media organizations cannot arbitrarily revise or delete old articles, even if urged to do so by parties involved in such articles.

Many media organizations operating database services have set up in-house bodies to examine individual complaints and to take steps to protect rights including limiting access to articles about criminal cases and mishaps.

According to the January 2003 NSK annual survey on electronic and broadcasting media by newspapers and news agencies, a total of 32 newspapers and news agencies offer databases of their articles, photographs and page images.

To protect human rights, the Yomiuri Shimbun in 1988 started adding notations to "check subsequent news" on all articles dealing with arrests in criminal cases that did not lead to any charges or that resulted in trial acquittals. Many other firms have followed the Yomiuri lead.

As public access to media databases becomes more common, there are more and more complaints calling for privacy protection. Convicts in criminal cases who finish their prison terms want to delete news reporting their arrests, saying such articles in databases hinder their attempts to get employment. Many families of people who die in criminal events or mishaps also say they can't stand seeing their dead relatives' names in the databases.

Such requests have led media organizations to take action under in-house guidelines and to examine individual complaints. They have variously deleted articles, rendered people anonymous, reduced the period for public access to databases and released only headlines.

The Mainichi Shimbun offers paid database services for retrieval of articles dating back to 1987, and also offers free retrieval of articles for the past year. It has a Personal Information Protection Committee that examines individual complaints about the database. A third-party Media Examination Committee meets once a month to brief its members, including legal advisers, on any complaints.

The Nihon Keizai Shimbun offers paid database retrieval services dating back to 1975. Complaints are dealt with through consultations among the sections concerned, which can take actions including deleting articles.

The Ibaraki Shimbun began offering a paid database service for photographs back to 2000 and articles and page images back to 2002. Its Copyright Examination Committee is formulating criteria for changing or deleting articles. The committee also deals with complaints, but has not yet received any.

Some companies have already set guidelines. The Yomiuri, which offers paid database retrieval back to 1986, in January 2002 formed an Electronic Media Grievance Committee. In addition to an existing guideline for descriptions of news articles, the committee adopted a guideline to protect personal information in its Database for Paid Services and Internet-Related Services. The guideline allows for the deletion of articles. The committee is to also handle any requests for article deletion. It is already considering automatically deleting articles about minor mishaps and criminal cases.

The Sankei Shimbun runs a paid database of articles back to 1992, and in April 2002 its committee on Problems Related to Copyright and the Right of Portrait set down rules governing the database. The paper deals with complaints and takes actions ranging up to deleting an article.

Many media organizations set limits on the disclosure period for their paid database retrieval services.

The Hokkaido Shimbun runs a paid database retrieval service covering articles back to 1988. It deletes articles about minor offenses after five years to protect human rights. The Ryukyu Shinpo makes such deletions after one year in its database, which includes articles back to 1998.

Kyodo News runs a database back to 1988 and automatically deletes minor news on the city news pages five years after publication.

The Ehime Shimbun is much more strict. It sets a limit of availability of each article in the database at five years. Any corrections or new developments are added to the original articles in the database, which remains open for public access.

The Chunichi Shimbun offers articles back to 1987, puts a notation on any articles likely to be a source of trouble, and is prepared to bulk-delete such articles after a fixed period.

The Asahi Shimbun, whose paid database dates back to 1984, is dealing with complaints on a case-by-case basis, but has already decided to attach a notation that says "deletion after three years" on such articles. The system is likely to go into practice this fall. The Asahi's Data Privacy Examination Group deals with complaints and continues to formulate criteria for action.

Local newspapers in particular generally do not carry articles about criminal cases and mishaps in their databases.

The Kyoto Shimbun, Kobe Shimbun and Chugoku Shimbun do not release articles on criminal cases in their respective commercial database services, making exceptions only for major criminal cases, corruption involving government employees and other such incidents. The Kahoku Shimpo's paid database service dates back to 1991, but does not cover criminal cases and mishaps, except for corruption involving lawmakers and other cases in which publication is deemed socially acceptable. The Nishi Nihon Shimbun, which offers articles back to 1989, takes the same line.

Starting April, the Sanyo Shimbun paid database retrieval service has offered articles, photographs and page images back to 1996 only to local governments and other public entities. It is to provide such services to individuals this fall. Sanyo deletes articles that might invite trouble and releases only headlines of such articles. It only releases page images dating back three months.

The Shinano-Mainichi Shimbun provides public access only to headlines of articles dealing with criminal cases and mishaps dating back to 1995. It does not release the headlines and texts of such articles in its database offered through Nikkei Telecom. In offering articles on criminal cases and mishaps, the firm follows a guideline with seven categories covering murders, abductions, armed robberies, fires in public facilities and other incidents.

	The Ibaraki Shimbun is based in Mito city, Ibaraki Prefecture, where it publishes daily morning newspaper with a circulation of about 118,000.
	The Ehime Shimbun is based in Matsuyama city, Ehime Prefecture, where it publishes daily morning newspaper with a circulation of about 320,000.
	The Kyoto Shimbun is based in Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, where it publishes daily newspaper as a set of morning and evening edition with a circulation of about 504,000.
	The Kobe Shimbun is based in Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture, where it publishes daily newspaper as a set of morning and evening edition with a circulation of about 558,000.
	The Cugoku Shimbun is based in Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture, where it publishes daily newspaper as a set of morning and evening edition with a circulation of about 749,000.
	The Sanyo Shimbun is based in Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture, where it publishes daily newspaper as a set of morning and evening edition with a circulation of about 461,000.
	The Shinano-Mainichi Shimbun is based in Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture, where it publishes daily newspaper as a set of morning and evening edition with a circulation of about 475,000.

To our subscribers The protection of human rights in news-article database retrieval services is becoming a major issue in Japan. We assume that media organizations in every country face the same issues. We would greatly appreciate receiving any pertinent information on how this issue is handled elsewhere or in related fields. Please send any information by e-mail(bulletin@pressnet.or.jp). Thank you. - Editor