Google will promote original reporting with algorithm change

SAN FRANCISCO: 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.