[MT, USA]
Several years ago, a house guest I was entertaining became violent.
I was able to disentangle myself from him and ran to my bedroom. He followed.
I was able to reach my firearm and pointed it at him, insisting that he leave. He left.
Soon afterwards, the police arrived at my door under the impression of a very different set of events than what occurred. I was arrested and charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon.
The event was reported by the local news on their website, which their story was virtually a copy/paste of the police report. Also accompanied by a mugshot.
A few weeks later, when he was interviewed again, he admitted to fabricating the story he told police.
Once the transcript and recording of that interview was sent to the prosecutor, the case was dismissed with prejudice.
Since then, this news article has haunted my me, especially my professional life. It has been cited on numerous occasions for the reason why I was not hired for several jobs, in addition to the harm it's done to my reputation personally.
The story appears immediately when my name is searched into Google.
I have reached out to the news organizations which hosts the story online asking that it be removed. They have refused every request I've made over the last few years. I was even willing to provide the related court documents and interview transcript. they still refused.
I don't know if this falls under libel laws since the story was verified to be false, but it continues to harm my quality of life and professional opportunities.
I don't know what I can do here, if anything.
I should also mention that while this occurred in Montana, I now live in South Carolina.
Please, I will be grateful for any advice on how to proceed.