SAN FRANCISCO, Sept 14, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Original reporting will be
highlighted in Google’s search results, the company said as it announced
changes to its algorithm.
The world’s largest search engine has come under increasing criticism from
media outlets, mainly because of its algorithms — a set of instructions
followed by computers — that newspapers have often blamed for plumenting
online traffic and the industry’s decline.
Explaining some of the changes in a blog post, Google’s vice president of
news Richard Gingras said stories that were critically important and labor
intensive — requiring experienced investigative skills, for example — would
be promoted.
Articles that demonstrated “original, in-depth and investigative
reporting,” would be given the highest possible rating by reviewers, he wrote
on Thursday.
These reviewers — roughly 10,000 people whose feedback contributes to
Google’s algorithm — will also determine the publisher’s overall reputation
for original reporting, promoting outlets that have been awarded Pulitzer
Prizes, for example.
It remains to be seen how such changes will affect news outlets, especially
smaller online sites and local newspapers, who have borne the brunt of the
changing media landscape.
And as noted by the technology website TechCrunch, it is hard to define
exactly what original reporting is: many online outlets build on “scoops” or
exclusives with their own original information, a complexity an algorithm may
have a hard time picking through.
The Verge — another technology publication — wrote the emphasis on
originality could exacerbate an already frenetic online news cycle by making
it lucrative to get breaking news online even faster and without proper
verification.
The change comes as Google continues to face criticism for its impact on
the news media.
Many publishers say the tech giant’s algorithms — which remain a source of
mysterious frustration for anyone outside Google — reward clickbait, and
allow investigative and original stories to disappear online.