Google’s bias towards national news hurts local news publishers
- Sameeha Junejo and Sarah Nasir
- Oct 8, 2020
- 1 min read
Updated: Nov 5, 2020
Google News favours mainstream media over local news media. This suggests that social media and search engines do not put audiences into filter bubbles based on identity, ideology or geographical location. Studies suggest that if there is a filter bubble, everyone is in it together. This means that even if different users search for news on Google, they will likely see the same results from the same media outlets despite differing identities, ideologies and locations.
Mario Haim, Andreas Greafe and Hans-Bernd Brosisus’ study found “a general bias in that Google News over-represents certain news outlets and under-represents other, highly frequented, news outlets.” This hurts local news publishers as it affects their ability to generate advertising revenue and compete with national newspapers.
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