Optimizing News Sites For Google News

malibucreek writes "More trouble for Google News? Yesterday, it was Google News censoring stories for China. Today, the Online Journalism Review details a potential conservative bias in the site's algorithm for news search results. The story also includes some details about how Google ranks stories on its news page. Turns out that on Google News, backlinks do *not* improve search positioning."

Comments

Re:Beta?

[dema]

Ack, Google News is still beta. Oops.

Re:Article text has excellent theory.

[slungsolow]

The majority if news organizations follow standards similar to the AP Style Guidelines. When dealing with proper names you usually would do the following:

On first reference, use a person's full name, including the middle initial, and title if important to the story. On second reference, use only the last name with no title. In the following example, for instance, we assume that on first reference the person was called Dr. Donald Drumm. The following are possible second-reference uses: The doctor agreed. Drumm agreed.

Re:Google News Republican Bias?

[StalinJoe]

Actually, if you RTA it describes how because of a language anomality (John) google pulls up fringe sites when quryying for John Kerry. Similar queries for GWB pull up more actual news sites that at least try to honor their duty to report both sides.

So basically, visiting a flame site is not the same as visiting a biased news site that honors it's duty to give inches of column space to both sides of the spectrum. Yes, they pick and choose, but at least somtehing from the opposising side is there.

Crying that /. moderators mod anti-conservative posts as flamebait won't get me far...but anyone who moderates at -1 is supposed to look out for abuses like this. Ah well, life isn't fair, it is?

Anyone know how to research large institutional purchases of google stock?

Re:It is not Googles responsibility

[RobRancho]

RTFA The text cites the algorithm's preference vs. the news source's preference for full-name vs. only surname.

censorship through google ignorance/laziness

[WormholeFiend]

If you go to google.ca, click news, there is a Canada News section in English...

But if on the google.ca page you click on Google.ca offered in: Français, then on Actualités (News), you're forwarded to the google.fr (France) news page.

France != French Canada

Conservative bias?

[Mashiki]

Really? That's news to me...it really is. Especially with the Daily Kos right on their news page for all to see. Now if they had Free Republic on their page listed as a source, I'd agree.

I believe the study is slanted.

If you want neutrality...

[FooAtWFU]

go to Wikipedia, where neutrality isn't just a Nice Thing, it's the #1 policy . There's a Current Events spot on the front page.

Oh? What's that? It's not as comprehensive? Well, it's a wiki, not a search engine! Seems you just can't have it both ways...

Note that there is talk of a WikiNews run by the MediaWiki foundation, but at present it is mostly idle speculation, and no real plans to make such a site.

Re:I have a simpler explanation

[drewness]

It must just be where you live. The majority of houses on my street and a lot of the nearby streets have John Kerry signs in the window or on they lawn. (Mine included.) But where I live is on the North Campus/Clintonville border in Columbus, OH which is a pretty liberal part of the city. If you go down to the parts of OSU campus where the frat boys and wannabe frat boys live there are probably 2 Bush signs or more for every Kerry sign.
Kerry doesn't have the best delivery on his speeches (read: is totally monotone and wordy), but I know plenty of people who think that the content is good and support him both on the not-Bush part and what he has to say.

Re:Hatesites?

[MartinB]

Forgot to mention: most of the UK press - including the Telegraph - have pretty clear divisions between news and editorial. The newspaper editorial positions above are much less obvious in news coverage, particularly in the upmarket newspapers aimed at an intelligent, educated readership:

• Daily Telegraph
• Times
• Independent
• Guardian