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Google's Experimental Newsroom Avoids Negative Headlines

Posted by Soulskill on from the giant-earthquake-provides-thousands-with-early-access-to-afterlife dept.

theodp writes: After Brazil's dramatic World Cup defeat by Germany, writes NPR's Aarti Shahani, Google's experimental newsroom focused on search trends that didn't rub salt in Brazil's wounds, choosing to not publish a single trend on Brazilian search terms. Copywriter Tessa Hewson said they were just too negative. "We might try and wait until we can do a slightly more upbeat trend." It's a decision that puzzles Shahani, but producer Sam Clohesy explained, "a negative story about Brazil won't necessarily get a lot of traction in social." In old-school newsrooms, if it bleeds, it leads. But because this new newsroom is focused on getting content onto everyone's smartphone, marketing expert Rakesh Agrawal says, editors may have another bias: to comb through the big data in search of happy thoughts.

15 of 109 comments (clear)

  1. sounds like North Korea news by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 5, Funny

    we say bad stuff only when it makes us look good.

    1. Re:sounds like North Korea news by i+kan+reed · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Worse than that. It's like Brave New World news. The only things fit to publish are the things that keep us happy(and thus amendable to advertisements in this case). It's not trying to make on specific entity look good, it's trying to engage in actual mind control via selection bias.

    2. Re:sounds like North Korea news by jellomizer · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Here is the problem:
      Bad news is more interesting than good news. When people hear bad news it is a call to action that something needs to be done to stop it. Good news means you should just continue on and do what you have been doing.

      Now we get flooded with Bad News and that makes news junkies become paranoid and thinking the world is about to end, and this over extradition of the problem will cause them to try to do drastic action to try to fix it. Tea Party, Occupy Movement, Radical groups.

      Countries like China and North Korea, tries to give a bunch of good news, as a way to pacify the public. There is no interest in roping people in to watch the news every hour. So they do good news, to try to keep people passive and do what they already do. Ignoring real issues that are going on, causing the culture to stagnate.

      We really need a happy middle. Where we know what important is going on, without it seeming like the End of the World.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    3. Re:sounds like North Korea news by dcw3 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      How about instead of trying to spin it one way or the other, try publishing the facts. No real news entity should be spinning stories, but they obviously do in order to pull in a larger audience, or deliver their agenda (Fox, MSN).

      I'm really tired of these crappy stories that I see on local news meant to scare folks, or pull at their heartstrings. They really misguide peoples perceptions of reality.

      --
      Just another day in Paradise
    4. Re:sounds like North Korea news by StikyPad · · Score: 2

      In that case:

      Bad News! Google to stop showing bad news!

      In a terrible decision that requires a call-to-arms, Google has decided to censor anything bad. Stop everything you are doing and take to the streets while coordinating through social media, and let your voices and/or rioting be heard! Only when Google mentions the protests in their news feed will can claim success!

      --
      https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere
  2. Won't Somebody Think of the Neurotics! by Gr33nJ3ll0 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Without the usual diet of bad stuff happening what will they use to feed their various fears and neuroses?

  3. and in other happy news... by Cardoor · · Score: 5, Funny

    .. israel has asked 30,000 of it's citizens to prepare for a community outreach program in the gaza strip, where they intend to engage locals in what's expected to be highly impactful face to face cultural exchanges
    .. is the arctic the next greatest beach resort haven? it just might be!
    ... and finally, we re-introduce Blinky-san - the superfish everyone has known and loved.. leading the way in sushi dinners that leave you glowing with excitement!

  4. Because Nothing Bad Ever Happens by l0ungeb0y · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Thank you Google for protecting me from reality no one should have to know about bad things that happen, in fact, why should we know anything at all except for Google approved happy thoughts. Every year Google seems to do something that makes me hate them more and more. So fuck you Google - you're a bunch of authoritarian asshats who think you should control the information we have access to while trying to turn everyone into your personal little database to mine and sell info from. Just go fuck yourselves.

  5. Hmmm ... by gstoddart · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I don't want upbeat headlines. I want the news.

    That will include good and bad headlines.

    This sounds like a stupid idea, only tell people the upbeat things and let them live in blissful ignorance of what's actually happening in the world. The world doesn't work like that.

    What next, not telling us when governments misbehave, or when some atrocity happens so we don't all get sad?

    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    1. Re:Hmmm ... by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 2

      Okay, hold on, I'll get you a link to Pornhub where you can see Brazil getting fucked by Germany.

      --
      Support my political activism on Patreon.
    2. Re:Hmmm ... by Megol · · Score: 4, Insightful

      So you want the news? Then this may be a more correct delivery than other news media.

      Traditional media tend to skip happy news (or do some short notices) while promoting violence, crimes etc. as the top news.

  6. Same as Facebook by Lawrence_Bird · · Score: 2

    I included the word "doom" in a post and it did not go to the newsfeed. Changed the word and then it goes. Nazis would be thrilled to see this.

  7. Deja Vu? by Rixel · · Score: 2

    I seem to recall reading about a similar trend back in the 40's. Took quite a few "wins" over various countries until the aggressors were called on it. Wasn't quite sports related, mind you.

    --
    Never play chicken with a passive aggressive.
  8. Best Source Of Real News I've Found So far by Scottingham · · Score: 3, Informative

    A few months ago I was trying to look up the latest figures on the Ebola outbreak. All I could find through most news cites were BS articles that wasted 3/4 of their space on the background of what Ebola is and where Sierra Leone is. In my searching I stumbled across a Daily Map Archive from the EU commission.

    Each day they bring a new map with news from around the world. Succinct news, showing where it is geographically, with actual figures and no other bullshit. Granted, it's nearly all bad news...but I've learned so much about events around the world that the major news outlets don't cover (too much time covering important things like Brazil Exploitation Theatre or the latest breaking news out of Hollywood).

    Thine linken: http://ercportal.jrc.ec.europa...

    Coincidentally, their map today is of that very same Ebola outbreak. Things are not looking good.

  9. someone chose, wrote the story. What changed was by raymorris · · Score: 3, Interesting

    > I remember a time when the news was reported and read. Nothing more nothing less. How people accepted the news was left up to the viewer, reader, or listener. Now we have flavored news,

    In those happy times, an editor decided which stories he wanted to assign reporters to. Before "the news was read", someone wrote it, and the author had their biases. If you look at the news stories from many years ago covering two different politicians doing the same thing, you'll find the stories read quite differently depending on which party the politician was associated with.

    The newspapers and television stations of yesteryear were just as interested in selling ads as today's are. I think the biggest difference is the level of honesty. Sean Hannity will TELL you that he's a conservative. Peter Jennings and Dan Rather pretended to be objective.