Italian newspapers claim that if they opt of Google News, the search engine can't see them.
Italian antitrust authorities have begun investigations into Google Italy after newspapers there claimed that Google was dropping them from its search engine if they opted out of Google News, the AP reports. The newspapers have said that Google News has hurt their efforts to build their own audiences.
Google says that Google News helps newspapers, doesn’t harm them, by sending billions of clicks to them. But the newspapers say that Google News diverts readers away from their home pages, where they have an opportunity to present more of their content.
As a journalist, I understand the frustration Italian newspapers have with Google News. It is a love/hate relationship. On the one hand, if Google News does point to a story on your site, it can send a wave of traffic. But I have also seen it send that wave to a site that has syndicated the content, not originated it. For instance, Network World’s content is displayed by many other publications. If BusinessWeek runs one of our stories, I’ve seen Google News link to that version. Ok, the Web is a mixed up crazy cross-linked syndicated place so that is perhaps fair enough. But it still bites to be told that your news site doesn’t rank as high (meaning, isn’t newsworthy) even as Google News links to that very same content when it appears on other sites.
Newspapers can opt out of Google news, says Google. The Italian newspapers are claiming that if they do so, Google won’t crawl them for the search engine either and this has reportedly sparked an antitrust investigation. The newspapers accusations may not be true. Google insists that its mission is to index the world’s content and that all things related to its search engine results are sacred. Italian newspapers may just be using their clout to get regulators to take a kick at Google. But these stories are always striking. They starkly illustrate that Google is your everyday, need-to-make a profit corporation and not the wondrous lightness of being that its employees want you to believe it is. There’s nothing wrong with being a profit loving corporation (I work for one of those myself), but still makes me want to say, “Google, know thyself.”
Like this post? Visit the Google Subnet home page for more news, blogs and podcasts. Sign up for the weekly Google newsletter. (Click on News/Google News Alert.) More blog posts from Google Subnet:
- 10 cool things you didn’t know about Google [slideshow]
- Apple may decide to ok Google Voice on the iPhone afterall
- Can Android apps hold a candle to iPhone apps?
- Google wants an act of Congress to fix orphan books mess
- EU to investigate Google Book deal
- Google Chrome Pre-fetching
- Live by the Meme, Die by the Meme
Subscribe to all Google Subnet bloggers or Follow Google Subnet on Twitter
Follow Julie Bort on Twitter.
